Fullmetal and the Flame
by SnowingLight
Summary: Mustang and Edward go on a mission together to stop a new threat. During the mission however, one is gravely injured and defects. How will Central Command handle fighting one of their own? After the smoke clears, can they be redeemed? Parental!RoyEd, Royai in later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Hang On Tight**

Trains.

Roy Mustang couldn't stand the things. They were cramped, bumpy, and, among other things, they were so damn _loud_.

Well, maybe that last part wasn't so much the train's fault. Fullmetal was fast asleep in the seat in front of him, snoring his brains out. Roy couldn't wrap his head around it. How was a kid so puny able to produce that much noise? The sheer volume was enough to put the train engine to shame.

Fullmetal spent most of his time sleeping or eating, when he wasn't taking the time with Alphonse to research how to get their bodies back. Ed's boy was taking on nourishment for him and his brother.

One Transmutation.

That was all it took to change Edward and Alphonse's lives forever. Not to mention Roy's own life. He had taken them both in when the boys performed the ultimate taboo, human transmutation.

As much as it was an idiotic choice to make, he admired the boys' resolve. They didn't like the hand that life had dealt them, so they sought to change it. Even if it ended up costing Ed's right leg and Al's whole body. You'd think after losing his brother and his very leg that Ed would of crumpled and gave in to despair.

No. That wasn't his style.

Ed didn't care the cost, he was getting his brother back. That was the rule of alchemy after all. Equivalent exchange. And the price for getting Al back was Ed losing his right arm and Al being locked in a suit of armor, unable to feel or eat or do anything that humans with senses could do.

As far as Roy was concerned, though, the boys paid far more than they took. When they made this grave mistake they were only children. Even now they were, but only by appearance sake.

Well, Ed anyway.

As scrawny as the kid was, he sure knew his way around alchemy. All it took was a simple clap for him to transmute, whereas for others it took a drawn circle. Ed made sure he used this skill to advantage whenever he had the chance. It had saved his ass more times than one.

So, why was Roy on this heap with the kid to begin with? It was third time in a span of five days that people where being attacked by an alchemist that seemed to be invisible. But the weird thing was, the culprit seemed to attack towns that were mostly abandoned and scarce.

Roy wasn't stupid, he knew this had to be a trap of some sort, and when you're dealing with a rogue alchemist, you need to pull out all the stops you can. He'd thrown a few soldiers at the criminal, but none were ever able to find him or draw him out. So now, it was in the Colonel's hands...and Fullmetal's too. As much of a pain in the ass as it was. It was the only solution.

However, Roy doubted he and Fullmetal could handle this guy if he was practically in a coma. Edward had been sleeping the entire train ride, which now was going on close to nine hours. The whole while Roy was spending his time reading and catching up on his paperwork.

So much damn paperwork all the time.

Roy was snapped out of it when he heard Ed stir suddenly in his sleep. Was he...whimpering?Roy looked at him and went to go and nudge him with his foot, but before he could, Ed said something.

"Don't go."

Roy narrowed his eyes at this. Ed sounded so little and childlike in that moment, it threw him off guard. Moreover because he sounded...scared.

Scared and so alone.

This went on for a couple minutes. Roy knew he should have woken him, but he was curious to hear who was ailing Ed in his nightmare. Who was he begging not to go? And go where?

He went to raise his boot again to wake Ed when he heard:

"Don't go. I'm so sorry. Please, just don't go, dad."

Roy froze and his eyes grew wider. He felt himself let out a small, barely audible gasp. He couldn't believe it, Elric was dreaming about his father. As loosely as one could use the word 'father'.

All Ed ever said about the man over the years was awful. He couldn't stand the man. Cursing him at every turn. Now he was calling out to him? Why? It didn't make any sense. What bugged Roy even more was, why the hell did he care so much? Not just that he cared, he was angry, maybe even a little...

 _CRASH_

A loud and violent force shook the train hard from side to side. This was more than enough to wake Ed from his not so peaceful slumber. He woke with a start and immediately looked over to Roy to see what the hell the problem was.

"Hang on tight, Fullmetal!" Roy called to him and he forced his own body to be as steady as possible.

Ed looked around anxiously. "What the hell did I sleep through!?" he yelled, wobbling around roughly. "Why didn't you wake me up sooner you worthless Colonel bastard!?"

Roy let out a frustrated growl. "Just shut your mouth and hang on, damn it!"

Roy wasn't sure if the train was going to derail at this point and kill, not to mention him and Elric, but all the passengers on board.

"There has to be a way to stop this damn thing!" Ed called out, looking quickly in all directions.

"If you have any ideas, Fullmetal, I'm all ears!" Roy snapped back. He wasn't sure what to do. He had ignition gloves in his pocket, but even if he could reach and grab them, he wasn't sure it would do anything. All he'd succeed in would be bouncing around the car like a ping pong ball.

Outside the window, Roy saw sparks beginning to come out of the tracks. They were going too fast. Derailing seemed like a fate they couldn't avoid. On top of that, he felt they were tipping over.

Edward hopped onto his seat carefully.

"What in God's name are you doing!?" Roy yelled.

"I'm going to try something!" Ed shouted back.

Roy let out an angry breath. "Stop, you idiot! If you let go you're going to go flying!" As he opened his mouth to make another protest, a shadow flew past their window. It was to fast to make out who or what it was or to note any specific details, but something was definitely out there. The only thing he could see of it was it seemed to be...grinning. All Roy could muster at this was a small...

"What the...?" he said to himself.

The next sound he heard was Fullmetal snapping him out of his daze.

"Anything's better than sitting on our asses doing nothing!" he heard Ed yell to his previous statement. With that, Ed let out a mischievous and confident chuckle and let go.

Ed went flying mid-air throughout the car. As he flew, he quickly clapped his hands together. In this moment he had only enough time to safely stop one thing: himself or the train. Ed, of course, chose the ladder.

From the grassy knoll that ran adjacent to the train tracks, sprouted a large dirt and moss covered hand, that grabbed the speeding hunk of metal in an attempt to stop it. But if Ed had stopped the train dead in it's tracks, all the cars would crash into one another, killing everyone involved. So Ed guided the hand to run with the train a small ways, so it could stop at a safe speed.

Before he could tell if he was successful, he felt his back slam hard into something and the bastard screaming his name. After that?

Darkness.

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"...Fullmetal!" Ed heard a faint, yet familiar voice calling out to him. Who was it? All he could see was blackness all around. Wait, that's what it was. His eyes were closed.

"Come on, Fullmetal, you have to open your eyes, all right?" The voice said, sounding more rushed and anxious this time.

Ed fought to get his golden eyes open. When he did, everything hit him all at once. Mustang's voice, the derailing train, the sharp pain radiating all down his back. Before any sound could escape his lips, Ed heard Mustang again—that was who kept calling out to him. He sounded concerned. Ed never liked when he sounded that way. It never meant anything good.

"Come on, partner." Mustang said, "We need to get you out of here."

Partner? What was he a first-grader?

Before Ed could yell at him for his remark, he tried to push himself into a sitting position. A pained grunt came out of him before he was right back down again. He felt Mustang grab his automail to hoist him up. He immediately pulled his arm away. He didn't need Mustang's help. He didn't need anyone's.

"No..." Ed croaked out. "I can do this myself."

That was Ed for you. Stubborn as all hell at the worst of moments. When he tried to sit up once more, he got the same result.

At this point, Mustang had had enough. We went to grab Ed's arm again, only to have him, once more, pull away. There wasn't time for this.

"Goddammit, Fullmetal!" he yelled, taking Ed's face in his hands. "Look around you! We don't have enough time for your pride bullshit!"

Ed actually did as he was told and took a look around at their predicament. He couldn't believe his eyes.

The train had gone off the rails completely and now he and Mustang were dangling from the car that was hanging off the side of a mountain, ready to plummet to the ground at the slightest disturbance.

Ed's eyes grew wide and he let out a shudder of horror. Not just at the danger he and Mustang were facing, but the other passengers. All those passengers...!

"Th-the trian..." Ed let out in a whimper. "I-I couldn't-" he began but he didn't finish the sentence. He couldn't finish it. Then it would be real. He then felt Mustang shaking his shoulders.

"Fullmetal, if you don't snap the hell out of it, we're both going to die." he warned the teen.

Ed shook his head furiously side to side. "No! I don't deserve to escape! I couldn't save all these people! Why should they die and I get to live!?" he cried.

Mustang let out a hard sigh and slapped Edward hard across his face, his head turning from the impact. "One more remark like that and I'll kill you myself, you idiot!" he warned him. "I'm not getting off of this rig without you, so cry later and let's _go_!"

Ed glared up at the Colonel. He was right. But he would hurl himself off of this cliff before he'd ever admit it. So he took his superior's hand.

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 **Thank you so much for reading! Please review if you'd like! This story is going to be a quite a ride so get ready!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Aftershock**

 **Thank you so much to all who read my first chapter and/or left a review! I forgot to mention lst chapter, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way. Sure wish I did, especially Vic Mignogna—I mean—n-nothing! Enjoy!~~~ XD**

As reluctant as Edward was to accept the Colonel's help, he decided to suck it up and grab his hand. Being on a train that was about to crash into the abyss below didn't leave him with a whole lot of other options.

"Finally." Mustang remarked. "Now hang on as tight as you can. Trust me, Fullmetal."

Trust him? Weren't they in this situation because he didn't wake him up in the first place? No. That was stupid. The Colonel was a lot of things but clairvoyant wasn't one of them. He didn't know this was coming. Edward had no one to blame but himself for this.

All because he couldn't stop the damn train!

Ed just glared at Mustang. "Fine." He grumbled, hopping onto Mustang's back, his arms wrapping around his neck, piggy-back style.

God, this was humiliating.

Mustang began his ascent through the debris of the train. Everything was turned on it's side, which was a little disorienting, but he pressed on. He had to use the seat booths to climb up to the top where there was an exit point.

Ed was impressed. Mustang didn't seem phased by the weight of his own body and the heft of his automail. Ed knew he was challenged in the height department—ugh-but he certainly wasn't light. It would have been heavy enough if he had just one automail but he had two. Ed felt himself make a pained noise, as much as he tried to stifle it. His back was really, really hurting.

Mustang didn't break stride, if anything this pushed him to go even faster. "You okay back there, Fullmetal?" he asked, refraining from sounding the slightest bit concerned.

"Ye-yeah." Ed replied. It wasn't really a lie. He felt the impact of him landing hard back-first against the train when he fell. As painful as it was, he knew his life wasn't in any danger. But it was just sore as hell. But still, he seemed to be hurting a lot more than he should. He'd been roughed up enough times in his life to handle something as small as this. He then cast his gaze upward—to the sky. Shit, it was overcast and gloomy. That was why he was aching to the extent he was. It was threatening to rain, or even worse, snow.

Ed could always feel when rain or a storm was coming his way. His automail parts would ache like a sonofabitch. The metal would seize and it would become difficult to move, if he could at all. On top of that, the metal limbs felt like they weighed double their usual weight.

Mustang was nearly at the top—to safety. The feeling of relief soon passed when the two heard a loud, droning creak.

Shit.

The car snapped and began to fall down to the depths below. Mustang and Ed were shook off their purchase and began to fall through the car. In one swift motion, Mustang used one arm to grab the nearest booth and the other to grab onto Ed.

Ed began to let out a startled scream until he felt the Colonel catch him.

"You still with me, Fullmetal!?" Mustang called down to him. God, the kid was heavy.

Ed nodded. "Yeah...more or less."

"Okay." Mustang answered. "I need you to climb up to the top. I'll guide you, but you have to get ahead of me. Climb up my body— _carefully_." It was the only way. Mustang wasn't going anywhere while hanging on to the booth and Fullmetal. Once Ed was up, he could begin worrying about his own climb.

Ed knew this wasn't the time to argue with his superior, so he complied. "Won't it be too heavy on you?"

Mustang scoffed. "Stop worrying about me and just do it." he said. "I'm tougher than you think, kid."

Arrogant bastard.

"Whatever." Ed retorted. Wondering why he even cared about the jerk. With that, he carefully made his way up. Mustang didn't seem to be having a hard time, to Ed's secret relief.

"See? Just like climbing a tree." Mustang assured him.

Ed scoffed. "A Colonel jackass tree." Mustang shook his head. That was Fullmetal for you. Finds a way to be a smart ass despite any situation he's in.

"You've almost got it." Mustang told him. Just as Ed was nearing the booth and off of Roy, the seat began to crack and break. Stupid, cheap, useless train seats! Ed fell backwards, only to have the Colonel catch him again. He felt him grab his automail and throw him as hard as he could up to through the opening of the train, roaring with the effort of the action.

Everything happened so fast. One second he was falling, the next, he was on the grass. On steady ground once more. He remembered being glad he landed on his abdomen as apposed to his back. But the collision with the ground send shock waves of pain throughout him.

A huge crash followed behind him just as he went flying. The train! The train had fallen!

Edward made it to his knees and crawled over to the cliff's edge and peered down.

"COLONEL!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. He didn't seem him. Him _or_ the train. Panic began to spread in his chest. No, not him. Not Colonel Mustang. He couldn't be gone.

"Stop your shrieking, I'm fine!" Ed heard the bastard's voice call to him. He looked around but still didn't see him.

"Colonel?" Ed said in surprise, the ache in his chest fading. "Where are you?"

"Just calm down and look to your left." he sad calmly.

The teen did as he was told and scanned the cliff edge. Then he finally spotted him. Mustang was clung to the side of the cliff, hanging onto a ledge that seemed anything but sturdy. His left arm was limp and his right was starting to buckle.

Why wasn't he climbing up? Mustang just demonstrated that he could climb a wall like that like it was nothing. It was then that Ed spotted it. A pipe from the stupid, piece of shit train had ran Mustang through on the left side of his body, just missing his heart,

Ed let out scared breath. "You're...you're hurt." he said in a weak voice. This injury was his fault. This whole damn mess was his fault. Why couldn't he of just stopped the fucking train!?

"Fullmetal, you have to relax and listen to me, okay?" Mustang said with an amazing amount of calmness given his situation. "This isn't a fatal injury. But I just can't use my arm while I'm, you know, impaled?"

Was that supposed to be funny? Was the bastard really trying to put Ed at ease when he was the one dangling from the side of a mountain? Why? Why would he do something like that? All of this was his doing!

Ed heard Mustang's voice again. "Quit blaming yourself for this and use your damn alchemy to get me back up to you." He said firmly.

Ed didn't give a verbal response. He didn't know what to say. He just nodded and clapped his hands together, and then placed them against the ground. He lifted the section of the rock that Mustang was on to bring him slowly upwards. Mustang sighed in relief when he was finally on solid ground again. The two alchemists took a moment to catch their breath. Soon the moment of reprieve was broken when Mustang's voice turned serious.

"Fullmetal," he said calmly. "I'm going to need you to pull this out for me, okay?" He tried to sound as unaffected as possible. He knew the kid wasn't going to like this one bit. It had to be done though, and he couldn't pull the pipe out himself.

Still looking shaken, Ed nodded his head. "Okay." he said in a meek voice, and scooted beside Mustang. He touched the longer end of the pipe with his hand and snapped part of it off. The less he had to pull out of the man, the better. "Are you...you know, ready?" he asked, grabbing onto the the rest of the pipe.

Mustang just nodded. Ed couldn't believe it. He didn't look in pain or worried at all. Could it be that he had that much faith in him? Or was he just tough as nails after Ishval? Maybe both? It had to be a front, no way a wound like that didn't sting.

Ed took a deep breath and tried to ease the trembling in his hands. "I pull on three." Exhaling one more time Ed began to count. "One-" And then pulled the pipe from Mustang in one quick motion. He heard the Colonel make a muffled groan through gritted teeth. After that, he let out a pained laugh.

"You're so predictable, kid." Mustang chuckled. "I knew you'd pull something like that."

Ed pouted. "I'm not _that_ predictable." He insisted. "I was just trying to make things easier for _you_. Maybe next time I'll wait until a hundred...ungrateful asshole."

"Don't throw a hissy fit." Mustang said. "I was teasing you." He groaned and looked at his shoulder.

Ed was brought back to reality when he saw that Mustang was bleeding pretty badly. He was growing pale and his breathing becoming more intense. The mask he was putting up to hide the pain was fast crumbling.

"Okay," Mustang began, "maybe it's starting to sting a little bit."

Ed started to look worried again. "What should I do?" he asked.

"Well, I don't know medicinal alchemy, Fullmetal, and I'm going to need you to close the wound for me." he answered. "It doesn't have to be perfect. You just need to stop the bleeding."

Edward hedged a little bit. Sure, he had preformed medicinal alchemy once or twice in the past, but it was hardly his forte. He wasn't confident enough in his skill to heal Mustang safely. He found himself just staring at the bleeding wound for a few beats.

"What if I-" Ed began.

"You won't." Mustang assured him, cutting him off. "You'll do fine. But you have to do it now. If I pass out it will only make things harder on you." He was trying hard not to show it but he was getting dizzy.

Mustang was right. He had to do this and he had to do this now. Ed sucked in a deep breath and looked to the sky. The snow falling gently. He just had to center himself and concentrate. He brought his gaze back to the injury and place his white gloves against it. The blood immediately began to soak his gloves.

Blue electricity began to spark around the wound, but after a few seconds it crackled and faded away. Mustang bit back a scream, but noise still managed to escaped, causing Edward to jump a mile.

Ed jerked back in horror. "I'm so sorry!" he cried.

It took Mustang a few seconds to shake the pain off. "It's okay, Fullmetal." he said. "But you have to try again."

Ed shook his head rapidly side to side. He just couldn't do it. Mustang would just be another casualty in the hellfire of a mission if he tried again.

"No, I can't." Ed's voice trembled out. "Let me just find something to dress the wound with!" He began to scramble to try and find something to do just that, when he felt Mustang firmly grab his hand.

"That won't work." Mustang said. "The pipe went all the way through. Dressing it would slow the bleeding, but not stop it. You have to try again." he repeated. He took Ed's hand and brought it back to his shoulder. "You're too into your own head. It sapping your focus. Just relax and concentrate."

Mustang sounded so calm. You wouldn't have any idea he was bleeding out.

Ed closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. "You can do this." He heard Mustang say gently. He was right. Ed was the Fullmetal Alchemist. Closing a wound wasn't something he couldn't handle. This was child's play compared to all he's accomplished. And his Colonel's life was on the line. He had far too many good insults to call him before he croaked.

Moments later, the faint blue light returned, only this time, more strong and fierce, closing the wound closed beautifully. Soon after, Ed collapsed on his hands and knees, trying to catch his breath. Medicinal alchemy was the stuff of miracles, but it was very taxing on the user. If it was performed without the use of a Philosopher's Stone, it fed on the life force of the user. Edward wasn't in any danger but it still was exhausting.

Mustang's grunt of pain faded into a sigh of relief. He turned to his subordinate and patted him on the shoulder. "See? I told you you could do it. Great job, Fullmetal." he said with a smile. "Thanks."

Ed blushed and looked away, brushing off the Colonel's gratitude. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Next time you can be your own damn nurse."

Mustang chuckled. "You can sure heal wounds, but your beside manner needs work, kid."

Ed opened his mouth to snap back again, when he saw a shady looking figure sneak into a cave a little ways ahead. He titled his head in the direction of the figure so Mustang could see it.

"What do you bet that he's up to something shady?" Edward asked.

"Well, he's out here in a near blizzard heading for a dark, dank cave. I don't think shady begins to cover it. Mustang remarked. "Can you walk?" he asked, looking to Edward.

"Pssh." Ed uttered in response. Sure, he felt drained and his back was sore as all hell but he could handle it. No problem. "I'm not the one that was ran through by some measly old pipe. I got this. Let's get moving."

"I was only ran through because I was trying to save your scrawny, little ass." Mustang retorted with a smirk.

" **DON'T CALL ME SO SMALL I BLEND IN WITH THE SNOWFLAKES!** " Ed screamed at him. When someone tended to call him out on his...'height deficiency' as he called it, he only heard the adjective used to do it.

So, the two headed towards the cave. They only had walked a few feet when Mustang stopped suddenly. "Seriously, if you feel like it's too much, speak up." he said. "That's an order."

Ed snorted. "Whatever." Why did people always underestimate him? Didn't they know how awesome he was? He was the youngest alchemist to get into the military. He wasn't some child that couldn't defend himself.

Mustang was very aware that the only way to get the kid to cooperate was to order it, sometimes not even then. Even so, Fullmetal never asked for help. To him it was a sign of weakness. He always thought he had to get by on his own, carrying the guilt of not only his actions, but Al's as well. Still, Ed was in a lot more pain than he was letting on.

Damn stubborn kid.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A Shot in the Dark**

 **Still don't own Fullmetal Alchemist...**

 **Or Vic Mignogna. :(**

Riza Hawkeye and Alphonse were never the best at playing the waiting game. Especially when it came to the people they cared about most. But they were used to it to be perfectly honest.

Riza was Roy's most trusted lieutenant, but their relationship always seemed like more than that. At least to her it did. It was just that neither one of them would admit it. But in some ways, they didn't need to. Passing glances in the halls and their witty banter seemed like enough.

At least for now.

Although she wasn't an alchemist herself, Riza was the best sharpshooter to date. After all, she wasn't called Hawkeye for nothing. There didn't exist a target she couldn't hit, especially when it came to protecting her superior. When she told him she would follow him into hell, she meant it. She'd never meant anything more in her life.

Being left behind on this mission stung when Roy broke the news to her, but she couldn't really blame him. This mission was better suited more for alchemists and powerful ones at that. Orders were orders.

Roy and Edward were sent on this mission to find some invisible alchemist. She wasn't too worried, though. They'd sent out quite a few soldiers to dispatch this threat, but all yielded nothing. And besides, those two could handle themselves. Even so, she still hoped this would all be a wild goose chase like the others. She just wanted those two back home safe. But she couldn't shake the feeling she had in the pit of her stomach...

A bad feeling that something would go wrong.

Alphonse knew the waiting game all too well, even more so than Riza. His brother had always been the type to rush head first into dangerous situations.

Consequences be damned.

The orders Ed had received were different this time. They'd come right from the top. Ed didn't really have a choice if he wanted to help out on this mission or not. Like he would turn down the chance to help save people anyways.

Whereas, unlike Hawkeye, he knew alchemy, and unlike his brother, needed to draw a transmutation circle, running around in a giant, clangy suit of armor wasn't the best way in means of stealth.

Even though he would never say it out loud, Ed always seemed to lose a little focus if his little brother was out on the field with him. Not that Al couldn't handle himself, pain wasn't a sensation he could feel. But if the blood seal binding him to that armor were to be damaged, that would be all too real. It something happened to Al, it would be the end of Ed.

There was no Ed without Alphonse.

For now, though, he just enjoyed the company of Ms. Hawkeye and her sweet little puppy, Hayate. Al just loved to hold the animal. Even though he couldn't feel his warmth or the little laps he made on his armor skin. He sat on the sofa in Roy's office, while Riza gazed out the window.

"How do you think Brother and the Colonel are doing?" he asked her, rubbing Hayate's belly—much to his delight.

Riza shook her head and shrugged. "I haven't received word from either of them yet. Which isn't problem—yet. If we don't hear from the Colonel by noon tomorrow, then we have cause to worry." she explained. "So I wouldn't stress yourself about it until then."

Was she trying to convince Al or herself of this?

Al nodded silently. There was always a small seed of doubt in his mind when the people he loved went out on a mission. Even if it seemed like a harmless one.

"Did the records show anything that might help them identify this guy?" Al asked her.

Riza let out a disgruntled sigh. "The only thing we know is that he can make him self invisible." she said. "That and the fact that he came seemingly out of nowhere."

Despite Riza's always confident demeanor, he could tell she was withholding information from him.

"What aren't you telling me, Ms. Hawkeye." he said suddenly, worry coming through in his voice.

Riza sighed again. The kid may have been young, but was very smart. It wasn't easy to pull one over on him. Edward always seemed to fly into a problem, where Al liked to take a step back and get all the information first.

"There's a chance that the culprit has a Philosopher's Stone." she admitted.

Al whimpered a little and gasped. "How high of a chance?" he hesitantly asked her.

Riza finally turned to him, trying to be stone-faced but failing. "It's pretty much guaranteed." She said. "Even with the power of alchemists like Edward and the Colonel, it may prove to be too much. I mean, how can you attack a target without seeing it? You need outside help to pull something like that off. There's no telling what else he has up his sleeve."

This was bad all around.

Al put down Hayate and rose from his seat, joining Riza in looking out the window. The weather was what had caught his attention. It was dreary out and snow flurries were beginning to fall.

"Hey look..." he said, pointing to the sky, looking visually tensed. "Are you worried about the Colonel because of the snow?"

Riza shook her head. "No." she said simply. Al knew she was lying. Roy wasn't at his best when there was any form of moisture in the air. If his ignition gloves were to get wet, he wouldn't be able to use his flame alchemy.

"Don't worry." Al said, trying to soothe her. "It's not like it's raining, or even snowing that hard. I also saw him bring a couple extra pairs of gloves with him just in case."

Roy was far from stupid, he'd never leave for a mission without making sure he was comfortably stocked on ignition gloves in case he needed them, which tended to happen.

A lot.

Riza felt bad for worrying about the Colonel so much, he wasn't a child. But she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel pangs of nervousness any time he wasn't around. Too many people wanted his head on a platter. If something was to happen to him, she would never forgive herself.

"It's okay to be on edge." Al told her. "I get the same way whenever Brother goes out on a mission too. Especially in bad weather."

Riza looked to Al in realization. "That's right." she said. "Heavy moisture in the air makes Ed's ports ache, doesn't it." How could she of forgotten that?

"Mm-hmm." Al said, nodding. "When it gets really bad, he even throws up sometimes. I hope the Colonel doesn't get mad at him for it. He can't help it."

"The Colonel isn't _that_ much of a monster." Riza joked. "He likes to keep it hidden, but he's very compassionate."

"I suppose you're right." Al answered, returning back to the puppy and scooping him up into his arms.

Arms, gauntlets, whatever.

"I just hope it stops soon." He continued. "It just came out of nowhere."

Riza could only nod back at him, looking out the window again. She could swear that the snow picked up even more in the time she looked away. The harder the snow fell, the more her worry grew.

The door bursting open suddenly, snapped the two of them out of their thoughts.

"What is it, Havoc?" She asked, more than a little annoyed that he would just bust through the door without announcing his presence. What annoyed her even more was that she was aware that if he did it he had a good reason.

"I just received word that the train the Colonel and Fullmetal were on derailed and there was a terrible accident." Havoc told her. He was still panting from having ran all the way here from the other side of command. All the smoking he did didn't help with his stamina either.

Riza felt a lump form in her throat, while Al was dead silent.

"Were there any signs of survivors?" She asked reluctantly.

"None." Havoc answered.

Xxxx

"You really need to stop moping, Fullmetal." Roy said with annoyance. He may have been a little ways ahead of the kid, but he knew he was beating himself up without even turning around. The snow was deep, causing a considerable amount of their speed to drop. They'd barely said a word since they had began walking, but, really, what was there _to_ say?

Ed glared daggers at the Colonel Bastard's back. "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over _ME HAVING SAVED YOUR ASS_."

Roy just shook his head and kept walking. "And I thank you for the assist, but its time to be grown ups and pull ourselves together.

Ed just scoffed. He wanted to scream. Assist? _That_ was what he called it!? That's what he called saving his sorry ass life!?

"Just shut the hell up and keep walking, old man." he said.

To that, Roy turned around looking furious and grabbed Ed by the shoulders.

"Now you listen to me, goddammit. You need drop this pissy toddler attitude. Right. Now." he said angrily. As Ed went to make some snappy comment back, Roy beat him to it. "You're _not_ responsible for the lives that were lost on that train today. You did everything you could do to stop it, and that's all I can ask of you. As much as you want to, Fullmetal, you _can't save everyone_."

Ed's face fell, it took him a moment to finally look his superior in the face. "But why?" He whimpered. In that moment, he sounded like an innocent child that just wanted everyone to get along.

Roy sighed and softened his voice a little. "I wish I knew, kid. I really do. But it's just the way things are. You...just need to accept it. You save the ones you can and honor the ones you can't." Memories of Maes Hughes were beginning to surface with his words, and that was the last thing he needed on his mind.

"But I-" Ed began, but was cut off by a pained noise leaving his lips. Roy's eyes narrowed and he steadied him.

"What is it, Fullmetal?" Roy asked. He saw Ed was grabbing his chest. "Shit." He said when he realized that the snowfall was picking up. He knew how the kid got in the rain or snow. He looked across the way to see a small cabin in the distance. It wasn't much closer than the cave, but it was better than nothing.

Ed pushed the Colonel off of him. "No." He protested. "The cave is right over there. Can we just keep moving?"

Before Roy could get another word out, Ed had already passed him. Call it a gut feeling, but something was off. Following behind Ed, Roy carefully slipped on his ignition gloves. Better safe. The feeling only got stronger the closer the pair approached to the mouth of the cave.

Once they had made it, they took a few moments to look inside before entering.

"Damn it." Ed cursed. "You can't see anything in here."

From behind him, Ed heard the Colonel snap. When he turned around he saw that he had set fire to some brush on the floor of the cave. It wasn't a whole lot of light, but it was far better than nothing.

"You're a better torch than you are a Colonel, you know that?" Ed told him.

Roy ignored his comment. Something wasn't right here. There was no sign of the man that had ran inside here, and there wasn't anything to be seen or heard around them. Nothing seemed to be disturbed in the cave either.

"What is it?" Ed asked, picking up on his suspicious demeanor.

Roy thought a moment and shook his head. "I don't know. I just have a bad feeling. Where is this guy?"

"He has to be in here somewhere." Ed told him. "There doesn't look to be any other way out of here than the way we came in."

"Just stay on your guard." Roy warned him, his hands poised to snap if the threat decided to reveal himself. Roy didn't like to burn a target before he knew what they were after, but given the fact that he and Fullmetal were both injured, a fight may not go in their favor if he hesitated.

The dead silence in the cave was broken when Roy cried out suddenly and was pinned the cave wall by an unseen force. His arms were spread apart and pinned down. He couldn't move them, much less his fingers to get a snap out.

Ed whipped his head around to see Roy restrained by seemingly nothing. "Colonel?" he asked in confusion, which was only furthered when he saw his neck crane to the side like someone had punched him hard across the face.

Ed may have been pained but he could still use his alchemy. He could still fight. Shaking off his shock, he ran his flesh hand over his automail one and transmuted the metal into a sharp blade. Although he couldn't see anything, something was there. Something was hurting the Colonel. This was all he needed to know.

Ed lunged forward at seemingly nothing and thrust his blade forward. He aimed low, aiming for a leg. No matter what, Ed wasn't a killer and he didn't intend to become one now. There was always another way. If the guy wasn't able to walk, they would stand much more of a chance.

Ed's blade did make contact with something, but it wasn't what he hoped. His blade had stabbed into Roy's leg. Roy screamed and Ed pulled back.

What the hell!?

The teen looked to his superior with horror in his eyes. "Colonel, I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-"

"Fullmetal..." Roy cut him off. "You need to get out of here. Now." His voice was strained.

Ed couldn't believe his ears. Get out of here? Without him!?

"No!" Ed yelled to him, "I'm not abandoning you!"

He heard Roy say something but he couldn't tell what it was.

"What?" he cried.

"Be...hind you..." Roy choked out.

Before Ed could register what the Colonel said, he felt himself get sweep kicked and fell hard to the ground. The strange force seemed to release Roy and grabbed Ed by the shirt and dragged him across the floor. Roy could hear Ed screaming now. The kid's back was already injured and this only made it worse. The dragging finally stopped when Fullmetal had collided with the wall. Now, however, he was appearing to be choked out.

Roy was never one to panic in dire situations, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared to death in that moment. Someone was trying to kill Fullmetal and he couldn't even see who or what it was. Trying to remain in a cool head, he looked down to a mud puddle beside him. He scooped up a handful, ruining his ignition gloves in the process, and hurled the mud in Ed's direction.

This allowed him to be able to see the figure now, at least a little bit. Now that he had a bead on the threat, he darted forward and hurled a punch at it. To his relief, his fist did manage to collide with something. Fullmetal was released and was able to catch his breath again.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to my subordinate!?" Roy yelled at his opponent. Roy slid his hand into his breast pocket to get his back up pair of gloves. Once they were on his fingers, he went to snap, but the target pushed his hand of center and he nearly scorched Ed. Roy growled in frustration—he was getting tired of this. The damn thing managed to go invisible again. "You really are a coward aren't you!" Roy called out to the air. "Show yourself and fight me like a man!"

A figure showed itself right in front of Roy and caused him to startle.

"Okay then." the figure said. "Let's fight like men then, shall we?" His voice was slightly deep, but it didn't take Roy long to realize he was using something to alter his voice. It was like a garbled distortion.

The figure was what appeared to be a man, slightly taller than Roy. He was in a black body suit with large black boots and a long black coat and black gloves. Everything the man was wearing was black, except the mask on his face. It was bright white, frozen in an eerie face, like some weird mannequin. A ponytail poked out from the back of his head, like his clothes, it was also black.

The man in black gave Roy a swift kick in the gut, sending him flying backwards. Roy dug his hands into the earth to get himself to stop, covering his gloves in snow and dirt again—rendering them useless. Once he was still, he snapped quickly, but only managing to singe the man's shoulder given how damaged the gloves were.

The man chuckled, patting the small flame out with his gloved hand. "Wow, your embers sure do a lot of damage." he said with heavy sarcasm. "Please tell me you have more up your sleeve than that."

"You bet your creepy ass he does!" Ed called out suddenly, hopping onto the man's back, causing him to stagger off balance. "Sure are brave hiding behind that mask aren't you?" he said, reaching to rip the mask off the man. Only to have him throw him to the ground in response.

"Fullmetal!" Roy cried out as he watched Ed hit the ground.

The man went to punch Fullmetal in the head, but the kid was fast. He managed to roll out of the way just in time. When he saw an opening, Ed ran his automail blade hard in the target's shoulder. The man simply laughed in response.

"Oh, Edward." he said, still laughing. "You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to kill me." He waved a hand over his wound and it healed instantly. "Is this any way to treat an old friend?"

Ed was thrown by this. "Friend?" he asked in surprise. "Last time I checked we were on opposite sides."

"For now, maybe." The man answered. "But give it a minute." he grinned. With that, he pulled a revolver-like object from his coat. "Now you and Flames get up against the wall and put your hands up."

Ed scoffed in disgust. "Not a chance."

"Just do it, Fullmetal!" Roy called to him. Ed turned to see the Colonel doing what this freak told him to. Didn't he have more pride than that? Why did he seem so put off by this guy? To be fair though, he didn't think he could keep going much longer. This fight needed to end and the sooner the better.

Ed just laughed at the both of them. "You think bullets scare me? Go ahead and take your shot. Good luck hitting me. I'm faster than I look."

The man turned to Ed. He may have been wearing a mask but Ed could swear he was smiling. "You sure are confident in yourself, aren't you, kid? Good on ya." He then turned the barrel of the gun to Roy. "But what about his?"

Ed's face didn't change. "Wow, you claim we're friends but you sure don't know a damn thing about me, do you? You think I give a shit if you shot that bastard. Please. You'd be doing a me favor."

Just take the bait you mask wearing idiot.

"Fine by me." The man said simply. It appeared Ed's acting chops were a little better than he expected. He didn't think this freak would actually shoot him. His bluff just bit him in the ass.

The man pulled the trigger and just like that-

 _BANG_!

From there, everything seemed to go in slow motion for Roy. He had closed his eyes and accepted his fate, if it meant he didn't hurt Ed. When he opened his eyes though, he saw Ed in front of him with a concrete wall before the both of them that he had transmuted.

"You okay there, old man?" Ed called from over his shoulder.

Roy looked down to his body to see if the bullet had hit him anywhere. Ed walked over to him to take a look himself. Neither of them saw anything, and Roy didn't feel anything other than the injuries he had already sustained. But then...blood began to splatter in front of them.

"Colonel...you're bleeding..." Ed said with concern.

Roy couldn't figure it out. "But I'm not..." he began, and then looked to Edward and saw a large red stain spreading across his abdomen. The red of his coat couldn't hide it. Roy's eyes grew wide. "Fullmetal..."

The pain hit Ed suddenly and hard. "Colonel?" He said softly and began to fall forward, his transmuted wall collapsing along with him.

Roy caught the boy with one arm and went to snap with the other. But it didn't do any good, his gloves were still soaked in mud, and he would have to let go of Ed to grab another one.

Damn it! He wanted to burn this man alive!

It didn't seem to matter, however. The man was gone. Roy didn't sense him anymore, and he just knew, deep down that he wasn't there anymore. Better this way, he couldn't fight and tend to Fullmetal at the same time.

Edward was whimpering and shuddering in Roy's arms. Roy fought back his fury. "Why the hell did you protect me, Fullmetal!?" he yelled, but more out of guilt than anger. "You weren't meant to take that bullet—I was! Your orders are about keeping _you_ safe, not worrying about _me_!"

Even in his pain Ed smiled a little. "Guess I...don't...hate you as much as I...thought I did."

Roy's head was spinning. All this time he thought Fullmetal couldn't stand him, but now he was taking bullets for him? None of this made any sense!

Roy just played it off as if he didn't hear it. "I'm taking you back to that cabin we passed before. I can't risk patching you up here, that guy could come back." he told him. "I'm going to carry you there, okay? Don't even bother arguing with me because it's happening whether you like it or not." He slowly got Ed into a sitting position, the acting causing him to groan. Man, he was bleeding a lot. He began to remove Ed's red coat.

"Stop it." Ed whined, weakly pushing his hand away. He loved that coat.

"Shut up." Roy said in a firm voice, he didn't have the time to deal with this shit right now. "It's freezing out and your coat is drenched." With that, Roy removed his own jacket, and wrapped it around Ed. "Brace yourself, this is going to hurt like a bitch." he warned him.

Ed chuckled a little, even though it hurt like hell to do it. "And you said my beside manner needed work?"

Roy knelt down to prepare to pick Ed up. "On three, okay?" He said. "One-" Then he quickly stood up with Ed in his arms, Ed crying out in agony as he did so. "That's payback for earlier. Now we're even."

Okay, maybe the Colonel was right, doing it before three _was_ a dick move.

Ed felt his head begin to swim. "I'm dizzy..." He said woozily.

Roy tensed at this. Already? Was he really bleeding that badly?

"Just stay awake, Fullmetal." He ordered him. "I don't care how tired you feel, you keep your eyes open no matter what. You got me?"

"Yeah, yeah, no sleep. I hear you. I'm shot, not deaf." Ed replied.

So, Roy began his trek out in the cold winter storm with a bleeding Fullmetal in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Red Bullet**

 **Thanks again to all of you who read and review! It really makes my day. I recently got into writing again after a couple of years, and you guys are why I do this. Your support is something that means the world to me. I love you guys! 3**

The snow was falling hard and fast outside. So much so that Roy even reconsidered going back inside that cave, but that wasn't really an option. It was far too risky. If Mr. All I Wear Is Black decides to show up again. If he were to come back, he and Fullmetal would both be killed. If Fullmetal wasn't already...

No. No! He couldn't think that way. It wouldn't help matters, it would only make them worse. Edward wouldn't die. He couldn't. He still had to get he and Al's bodies back. Ed wasn't a liar, right?

God, the snow was so deep and still falling. But to Ed's surprise, the Colonel didn't seem to be struggling with the weight, just like on the train, and stomping through pits of snow no less. Maybe he and the Colonel were more alike than the two realized. If the situation were swapped, he would do whatever it took to get Mustang to safety, come rain, sleet or snow.

Anything. It didn't matter what he'd have to do.

But with every step Mustang took, Ed felt waves of pain shoot throughout his body. He didn't give a shit anymore about his back or his sore ports, this bullet wound was much, much worse. Falling asleep would make the pain less, wouldn't it? No, he had to stay awake. Mustang said he had to, but he was just _so tired_.

Maybe if he just closed his eyes for a minute...

Just as his eyes closed he heard the Colonel. "Fullmetal, I told you to stay awake didn't I?"

Ed let out a defeated sigh, he just hurt so much. "I don't know if I can."

Roy looked down to see that the kid had already bled through his own jacket. Why was it bleeding so much? They were in severe cold, it should have slowed the bleeding at least a little bit. He had seen enough gunshot victims in his life to know what was to be expected, but nothing like this.

Roy froze when he heard Fullmetal scream loudly. "What is it? What exactly are you feeling right now?" he asked. It was important.

Ed shook his head, his eyes shut tight in pain. "I-I don't know...It just...hurts all over my body."

"Your whole body?" Roy repeated. What was happening? This didn't make any sense. His nerves only made him press on, only faster than he was before. Not too much later they finally made it to the cabin.

Roy didn't care if anyone was in there or not, he walked up the porch and kicked the door in with one swift kick. Luckily, it really did seem to be abandoned, and there weren't signs of any squatters either.

Quickly, he began to look in the rooms, he needed a bed and fast. This place wasn't that big, so he found one in the second room he checked.

Roy made it to the bed as fast as he could and looked down at Ed. "I'm going to lay you down now, okay?" Ed couldn't produce and words, he just tried to nod and let out a whine. Ed whimpered more when Roy actually put him down. "I know." Roy said. "I'm sorry." He knew this was hurting the kid like hell, and he hated it.

Roy removed his coat from Fullmetal and the black jacket he was wearing as well. He left the kid's shirt on, because he knew it would make him uncomfortable if he removed it, so he just lifted it up. Ed started gasping a little bit.

"Stay with me, Elric." Roy said, forcing himself to keep a brave front for him. Ed was still sitting up, but it was very hard for him to keep it up, so Roy steadied him. "I'm going to see if the bullet went all the way through, and then I'm going to lay you down." He spoke slow and firm to make sure the kid could comprehend it.

Roy turned his head to look at Ed's back.

Roy ran his fingers over the boy's skin—nothing.

"What is it?" Ed asked breathlessly.

Roy gulped and hated the next words before he even said them. "The bullet...didn't go all the way through." He brought his hand to his mouth in thought.

Ed sighed. "Son of a bitch."

Roy looked the kid in the eyes. "It's okay. I'm going to make sure we get you all fixed up, all right?" He patted Ed's shoulder and then very carefully lay him down. He looked inside the bullet hole and didn't see anything.

 _Shit, shit, shit, where the hell is it!?_

This didn't make any sense. The damn thing didn't come out the other side of the kid so it had to be in him somewhere.

Ed didn't see it, but Roy closed his eyes to prepare himself for what he was about to say. "Fullmetal, I can't see anything. I'm going to have to feel around for it." The guilt in his voice was clear, every word he spoke felt more difficult to say than the last.

"Okay." Was all Ed said in response. This was going to suck. He just needed to find something—anything to focus on. Alphonse, his mother, Winry. He shut his eyes tight and gritted his teeth when he felt the Colonel pressing around his injury.

Roy stopped a few seconds later, running his fingers through his hair. "Damn it!" he yelled. Where was the damn thing!? Fullmetal didn't have a lot of time left! Why couldn't he just find one measly bullet!? Roy brought his hands to his head, wracking his brain for a solution.

"Colonel..." Ed said, his voice fading. "Please help my brother get his body back, okay?"

Roy shook his head. He chose not to hear that. "No." he said firmly. "I'll find it."

Edward was moving less and less now and his breathing becoming weaker. Roy let out an exasperated breath. He was now noticeably upset. He didn't want to lose another comrade. Not again. Maes was hard enough, he didn't think he'd survive it. But Fullmetal? No. Just, God, please no.

Looking at the wound once more, he saw something. It wasn't a bullet but it was a small red speck of something. He didn't know what it was but he wrapped it in one of his gloves and put it in his pocket, he would look into what it was once he and the kid were out of this.

And they were going to get out of it—both of them.

Now Roy only had one ignition glove left. But it didn't matter, the bullet wasn't there and all he was succeeding in now was causing Fullmetal even more agony. Making things far worse than they already were. What he had to do now was just get the wound closed so the bleeding would stop—then Fullmetal would have a fighting chance. However, like he had told the kid before, he didn't know medicinal alchemy. How could he stop the bleeding? Then a thought hit him hard.

Fuck.

He knew of a way, but it was going to be just awful. "Christ..." Roy said under his breath, but Ed still heard it.

Ed knew what the Colonel was thinking. "Just do it, Colonel." He told him. "It's either this or dying, and now that I think about it, I don't trust you to get Al's body back." A small, forced laugh left his lips after he spoke.

God, this kid was tough as all hell.

Roy winced, desperate to think of another way to go about this, but there wasn't one. This was the only option. Hesitantly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his last ignition glove. He only needed the one. He slipped it on and peered down at the kid. He didn't know what to say.

After what felt like forever, Roy finally spoke up. "You're going to need to hang onto something to brace yourself." He warned him.

Ed felt his heart race. But he knew he could get through this. He brought his hands to either side of the bed and gripped onto it tight. "Just close it quick, okay?" he said.

Roy looked devastated. "Yeah." He replied. This was going to be hell. For Ed and himself. He had seared his own wounds closed before and he could barely tolerate it. He had just barely managed not to pass out when he endured it. Fullmetal was undoubtedly strong, but this...

When Roy went to place his hand on the bullet hole, he saw that he was shaking. He had to relax. This was Fullmetal's only chance. He drew in a long breath and exhaled. He forced himself to just put his hand on the wound and summoned his inner flame alchemy. It was now or never. He could feel the heat radiate from his hand over to the kid.

Ed began to scream almost immediately. Those cries...Roy couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand the kid being in pain, he couldn't handle the screams. It reminded himself too much of Ishval. But he wasn't going to stop, he was going to save Fullmetal's life.

No matter what.

Ed arched his back, fighting to stay as still as he could, but it was like he wasn't in control of his body, it reacted like it had a mind of it's own. He then shot upward, his scream cutting off, and collapsed onto the bed limply.

Silence.

It was done. This horrible ordeal was done, but now, Ed wasn't moving.

"Fullmetal?" Roy asked in horror. No response. So he tried again. "Fullmetal?" He said a little louder this time. Still nothing. Roy darted his bloodied hand to Ed's neck and tried to feel for a pulse. He wasn't sure if what he was feeling was Ed's pulse, or his own from his distress. He then put his ear to Ed's chest and heard the kid's heart beating fine.

"Oh, thank God." Roy said in utter relief, grabbing the kid's shirt.

Once he composed himself, he looked around the room. Blood was all over the bed, and his own shirt. As much as he didn't believe it, Fullmetal was still alive, even after losing what appeared to be far too many pints of blood. And for the kid to be screaming his head off like that, he must have really been suffering. Ed was never the kind to show pain, if he could help it. He never tried to show any signs of weakness. Edward and Alphonse had been through way too much in their short lives, and it wasn't showing signs of stopping any time soon.

Roy's mind then drifted to the remnant that he found in Ed's blood. He pulled the glove it was wrapped in from his pocket, it too was covered in blood, so he wiped it off with his fingers. Was it...part a Philosopher's Stone? If it were, why was it in the kid's blood? All he had were questions with no answers right now. All he knew was that the kid was lying here because he decided to take a bullet for him. Ed was hurt defending him. Not all soldiers would do something like that, and all for a 'Colonel Bastard' like himself. Fullmetal may have had a mouth on him, and an icy demeanor towards Roy, but he was a damn good kid. He just needed guidance. He needed a parent—a father.

Roy raised his hand, going to pat Ed's head in a soothing manner, but before he made contact he pulled it back.

"Thank you, Edward." he said softly. He never called him by his first name, but he figured he was out of it—so it didn't count.

XXXX

The man in the mask strode happily into what looked like an underground cave base. He seemed all too pleased with himself. He twirled the revolver he used to shoot Ed around his fingers. A laugh came from beneath his mask.

"That was almost too easy." He bragged.

"You shot the wrong target." An angry voice from before the man answered.

The masked man laughed again and shook his head. "Look, I know you wanted Mustang's head on the chopping block, but I didn't expect the kid to go all superhero on me and take it for him."

The voice scoffed, clearly unamused. "That _child_ isn't the one that is most useful to me."

Masked man folded his arms. "Really? I think it's quite the contrary." He stated matter-of-factly. "That kid is hardly a weakling, that automail of his sure packs a hell of a punch." He said, with a hint of resentment, turning his shoulder around to where he had been stabbed earlier. "I mean, he was able to use all his alchemy without drawing a transmutation circle. I want that power. What does Mustang have anyway? Some puny embers and a rank? Please."

"You say that like rank doesn't mean anything. Rank can be all or nothing in the military." The voice reminded his minion.

Raising a finger, the masked man replied, "Ah, but not when we have one of his little soldiers he cares about wrapped around our finger." He said. "You should have seen his face when I was choking the little shit out, he nearly pissed his pants."

The older, angry voice paused. Maybe he had a point? The best way to cause pain to someone isn't through pain or physical force, it was using the ones they loved to apply pressure. Nothing would hurt more than that.

"How many bullets did you have to use?" The older asked.

"Just one. Gut shot."

"That was reckless. You could have killed him." he said.

The man in the mask stopped twirling the gun and looked at it. Then he popped open the chamber and pulled out a bullet. A bullet that was bright red and glowing. "Oh, come on. Philosopher's Stone bullets aren't lethal. Sure, they hurt like a bitch but the kid will be fine."

"How long will it take before the stone's power takes it's affect?" The voice asked.

The masked man thought for a moment before he answered. "It really depends on how long it takes his body to completely absorb it, but...I'd say about twelve hours at maximum. The kid is a tiny little thing."

The older man nodded. "Then leave the boy and Colonel be for now. The kid will come to us when he's ready." A large grin found it's way to the man's face. "What better way to kill the Colonel then to have one of his most trusted majors do it for us?" Laughter erupted from him once he really thought about it. "Central will be in shambles after this!"

"I aim to please." Masked guy said proudly, spreading his arms apart.

The older man stopped laughing suddenly and turned back to his subordinate. "If you fail me with this, I won't hesitate to kill you again. And this time, I can make it far more painful."

"We wouldn't want that now, would we?" The younger retaliated. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you get the results you desire. That way you're happy, I get my cut from the fallout, and that Colonel asshole will be out of our lives forever."

The older man laughed, this kid sure was confident. "The results better be even better than if you had shot Mustang, like the plan originally dictated, or you will regret it."

"You don't have to keep threatening me, man. You know I'll do whatever it takes to get what I want."

"I suppose you're right." Said the older. "I know where your priorities lie. I created you after all, right? Didn't I son?"

The younger man laughed and rose his hands to his mask. "I told you not to call me that." He said, pulling the mask from his face before he continued.

"Call me Greed."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Safe and Warm**

 **I never expected to get the feedback I did on the last chapter. Your reactions were what I hoped to get. Although, a few of you seemed disappointed with my choice of who to make defect. If you guys like, once I finish this story, I can write an evil Mustang fic if you want. Just let me know. This story is very long and everything is pre-written so I just type it out, so I can't make changes with this story without it hurting the original narrative. Like I said, though, if you want me to write that, I'd sure be happy to. As, always, I love you guys, and enjoy!~~~**

 **XXXX**

Roy never left Fullmetal's bedside. The kid had been asleep...or passed out, for a few hours now. Roy had searched the whole house for blankets and the like. All he could find was a couple thin sheets. Better than nothing, I suppose. He covered the kid up and made do with what he had.

Roy felt himself gazing out of the window. His lieutenant should find them soon. He could depend on her, no matter what. It was all just a matter of time before Ed got help. Aside from that, Roy had a million and one other things on his mind. First and foremost was keeping Fullmetal safe. He was only standing here because the kid had taken a bullet that was meant for him. But if someone were to attack them right now, they'd be screwed. Fullmetal was bedridden and Roy didn't have any ignition gloves left.

Roy's mind drifted to that awful moment when Ed was hurt, and then back to when Ed had healed his wound earlier. He placed his hand on his now healed shoulder. God, he owed the kid so much.

A sudden stir and moan from Edward snapped the Colonel out of his thoughts. "Fullmetal?" he asked, turning towards the kid.

"Please come back..." He said, sounding nothing like himself. He sounded like he had on the train earlier. So young and so alone.

Roy's eyes narrowed and his made his way over to the bed. "What are you talking about?" He asked. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Edward looked to him with innocent and frightened eyes. "No...you said that before and you still left us."

What the hell was he on about? Who was 'us'?

"Fullmetal...What-" Roy began.

"Just stay a little longer." Ed begged him. "Please don't leave me, dad."

Roy couldn't stifle the gasp that left him. Did Fullmetal really just call him dad? What the hell was happening? The kid wasn't sleeping, he was looking him square in the face. The next thing he felt was Edward grabbing tightly onto his pant leg.

"Al needs you too. So does mom." He went on. "Please stay. I promise I'll be good. I won't act up anymore. Just please don't go."

Roy felt pain spread in his chest. This was awful. He hadn't the slightest idea how to handle something like this. Should he just come clean to the kid and remind him that he wasn't his father, he was his Colonel? Then there was the other option, should he let Fullmetal have this moment, since he nearly died saving him? Edward had experienced so much physical and emotional trauma in one day, and he was at the point now that he had lost so much blood he was hallucinating. So Roy made his choice.

"I'm here." Roy told him in a softened voice. "I swear I won't leave you or Alphonse ever again, okay?" He pulled a chair next to Edward's bed, the kid still not releasing his pant leg from his grip.

"I don't...feel good." Ed told him with a squirm.

Roy felt himself gulp, fighting to keep himself together. "I know." he said. "I'm sorry. But just hang in there. You're going to be just fine, all right?" He wanted to comfort him in some way, but had no idea how to go about it.

Ed pulled the sheets closer to his chest. "I'm scared."

Roy winced. Never once had he heard the kid utter those words, nor did he think he ever would. Fullmetal was really out of it. Roy had to look away from him for a moment. The distress on his face was obvious. This was like torture.

What could he do for the kid? He wasn't a parent and Roy never really had a parent of his own, at least not a father. How was he supposed to go about this? But Edward needed a parent. Roy looked to the boy once more, he looked like the child that he really was. People tended to forget that Fullmetal was only fifteen. That was still a kid. A kid far too young to have gone through everything that he had. Edward needed to lean on someone right now, instead of carrying the burden of everything on his own shoulders.

What the hell was he doing? If Fullmetal needed a parent right now, he was going to get one.

Roy walked closer to Ed's bed and crouched down to his level. He patted the kid's head, pushing the hair from his face and smiled at him. "Edward, you're the strongest person I've ever known. You can make it through this fine. Just fine." He said sounding as soothing as he ever had. "And I promise, you and Alphonse are never going to be alone again...son." The word came so easily, far easier than Roy thought it would.

A smile spread across Ed's lips. He looked a little calmer already. A moment later, he began to shiver.

"Edward, are you alright?" Roy asked.

"I'm just...so cold. I'm freezing." He whined in response.

Of course the kid was freezing. It was God only knows how cold outside and Edward was covered in blood and sweat. And from the amount of blood he had lost, Roy was surprised it took this long for the kid to start to freeze. The house didn't have any more blankets, and Roy had no other ignition gloves to make a fire.

Damn it! There had to be a way for him to warm the kid up!

There was only one thing that came to mind. He lifted the blankets up on the bed and got under the covers with Edward. He wrapped his arms around the kid. Body heat was going to have to suffice for now.

As awkward as Roy thought this would be—it wasn't. It felt like...a father holding his son.

"Is that better?" Roy asked him. He felt Ed's head squirm a little against his chest.

"I'm not a baby, you know." Edward reminded him, before he finally gave in. This really did feel so much warmer, and no one was around anyways.

Roy couldn't help but laugh a little. "I know, I know." he assured him.

"But..." Edward went on. "Thank you, dad." He said, falling peacefully into sleep.

Roy rested his head on top of Edward's and smiled warmly to himself. "You're welcome, kid."

XXXX

Somewhere along the line, the both of them must have fallen asleep. This was proven when Roy was jolted awake by the bed shaking severely. At first, Roy couldn't register what was going on, but once he got his bearings, he looked down to see Edward convulsing. He was having some kind of seizure.

"Fullmetal!" Roy called out to him, he couldn't hide the panic in his voice. "Edward!" He gasped when he saw the kid's eyes flicker red and back for a moment. But Roy soon snapped out of it and pinned Ed down with one of his arms and stilled his face with the other one. If he kept flailing like this he was going to hurt himself even worse. "Edward, can you hear my voice?" But the kid continued to struggle. "Please, Fullmetal. It's okay, _you're_ okay."

The kid finally seemed to respond and stopped his thrashing. He looked up to see Roy holding him down. "Colonel?" He asked in utter confusion.

Well, the kid was calling him Colonel again. Maybe he was coming out of it.

"Yes, I'm right here." Roy said. "Where are you hurting?"

Edward brought his hands to his head, gripping his hair. "It's my head...I feel...like I'm slipping away." His body was tense and rigid.

"What?" Roy asked aloud. Why was his head killing him?

Then, in an instant, Edward snarled at the Colonel and snapped his head to him. Using his automail arm, he punched Roy hard in the gut. The sheer force of the hit sent him flying across the room. His back slammed against the wall. Roy fell forward coughing. The wind had been knocked out of him and it was taking a great effort to get his breath back.

What the hell? Roy couldn't be sure yet, but he could swear a couple of his ribs were broken. The kid's sudden strength was insane. A few hours ago, Ed couldn't even sit up on his own, now this? All of a sudden his power was unbelievable. Roy let out a pained grunt and cradled his ribs in his arm. The only sound that could be heard was Roy, fighting to be able to breathe again.

Ed let out a horrified and shuttered gasp. He looked to his metal limb, and then to Mustang. "Colonel...did I..." He trailed off.

Roy was still struggling to breathe and get back on his feet. "Yes." He answered. "Yes, you did. My only question now is, why?"

Ed looked to his automail once more. That was a damn good question. Ed never wanted to hurt anyone, especially someone he cared about. "I don't know." He said somberly, shaking his head back and forth. "It was like...I lost control of my body for a second." He brought his golden eye back to the Colonel. "I'm so sorry!"

Roy sighed, using the wall to help himself stand. "Just calm down. I believe you." He said.

But Edward didn't even register what he had said. He just buried his head in his hands. He wanted to cry. First he gets innocent people killed because he couldn't stop one train, and now he was sucker punching his superior? And, God his head hurt. A constant throbbing.

Before Roy could say anything more, the door to the cabin flew open.

"Colonel! Are you both okay!?" Riza said, barging into the room with a pistol drawn. Next to her was Jean Havoc, toting a gun as well. Riza ran to the Colonel and Havoc went to help Ed.

"Lieutenant?" Roy asked in shock. "How did you get here so fast." He asked, while Riza put her arm around him to steady his standing after she holstered her gun. No one was here.

"We heard about the accident on the radio." Havoc told him. "Damn, you two look like you've been to hell and back."

Riza looked at Roy, and then to Edward and all the blood that covered the two of them. "What exactly was going on here?" She could tell from the injuries and the blood that the train accident wasn't the sole cause of their injuries.

Roy shot an angry glace to Edward, who was still cowering on the bed. He turned his head away, closing his eyes. "Just get Fullmetal to a hospital." The way Roy looked and sounded, Edward couldn't stand it. Everything was his fault. There wasn't a question of it anymore.

This really was a nightmare.

XXXX

Later on that day, Edward lay in his hospital bed, just staring out the window beside him. His whole body was sore, even despite the pain meds he was on. But worse than the physical pain he was feeling was the emotional—it was unbearable. Why the hell would he hit Colonel Mustang? Sure, the guy was a pain in the ass and tended to act like a bastard, but he still...cared for the guy. He never meant him harm. He remembered feeling an awful headache right before he attacked, like something in his brain willed him to do it—coerced him to. But why did he have to use his automail? Punching him was already bad enough, but to do it with his automail? He broke the Colonel's ribs, damn it! Ed just covered his face with his hands and whimpered.

"...Brother?" Alphonse's voice said meekly. For someone in such a bulky and noisy suit of armor, he sure knew how to move quietly.

Hearing his brother's voice made the tears come. Ed didn't know why, but they did. So he kept his hands over his face. Al couldn't see this. He couldn't see his older brother cry.

"Hey there, Al." He said, feigning cheer, desperately trying to hide the shaking in his voice.

"How are you feeling?" Al asked, he knew it was a stupid question, but it didn't make him care any less. But he knew his older brother, he knew when he was crying. He had heard the whole story about what had happened from Riza and Havoc. He wanted to talk to the Colonel too, but Edward came first.

Always.

"I'm just fine, Al." Ed lied, still hiding his face. "I just want to be alone for a little while and get some sleep, okay?" The tears were now seeping through his hands so he turned away from Al. "Come back later."

Al sighed. Why did Ed have to be like that? Why did he feel like he always had to shoulder everything alone? His brother was still so young, and had way too much emotional and physical trauma to last a lifetime. Al couldn't feel pain anymore, but he swore he felt his soul ache seeing Ed like this. He knew Ed would sooner die than hurt anyone. He walked over to his bed and knelt down to Ed and hugged him tight.

"None of this is your fault, Brother." Al said. "I know you think it is, but it isn't."

Ed turned into his brother's chest to continue hiding his face from him. "How can you say that?" He said, his voice finally breaking. "I couldn't save those people on the train, and then I attack one of the few people that actually give a damn about me."

Al just listened to his brother. Ed carried so much guilt for every life he couldn't save, even if he did everything in his power to stop it. In his eyes, he was just as guilty as the murderer.

"No one blames you, Brother...no one." Al assured him. "Not me, not the victims, and certainly not Colonel Mustang."

Ed sobbed a little harder and sniffled. "Yes he does. You should have seen the way he looked at me, Al. And who could blame him? I attacked him for no reason."

"You said you felt like you were slipping away." Al reminded him. "Do you really think you would just up and attack a comrade for no good reason? Come on, Brother."

"None of that matters, Al!" Ed cried. "Whether it felt like it was me or not, the point is—I did it! I failed him!"

"No you didn't." A deeper voice said suddenly. Ed and Al looked over to see Colonel Mustang standing in the doorway. "You saved my life." He was in his hospital attire, but the shirt was opened and his torso was heavily bandaged. His ribs really were broken. Roy winced from the pain, it was difficult just walking to the kid's room. Al darted over to him quickly and helped him sit in a chair in the room. This did nothing to help Ed's guilt. He just closed his eyes and hit under his automail arm again. There was a brief silence before Roy spoke again. "Al, give us a minute, will you?"

Al nodded. "Of course." He answered, turning to Ed before he left. "I'll be right outside if you need me, Brother." With that, he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

"Fullmetal..." Roy said, trying to get the kid's attention. But Ed made no signs to move or speak. "Fullmetal." He said again, a little more forcefully this time. "Look at me."

Ed shuddered. "No." He said. "I can't."

Roy tilted his head to the side. "Why?"

"You know why." Ed replied.

"You can't look at me because you nearly died risking your life for me by taking that bullet?" Roy said.

Why was the Colonel trying to make him feel like a hero!? He wasn't! He wasn't at all!

"Stop it. Please." Ed begged.

"I won't." Roy stated. If anything I should be ashamed to look _you_ in the eye. You saved my _life_ , Fullmetal."

"But I-"

"But nothing." Roy interrupted him. "Look at me, Edward."

Hearing Roy call him by his name, finally got Ed to look at him. He had never been called his first name by the Colonel before. At least not to his recollection. Maybe he did in the cabin? He didn't know, that whole experience was a blur. When his eyes finally met his superior's they were red and puffy.

"Thank you." Roy said, the sincerity in his voice was surreal. The look on his face was so heartfelt. He was really being serious, he really appreciated what Ed had done for him. Al was right, the Colonel really didn't hate him.

"I don't blame you for this." Roy said, looking down to his bandaged body. "You had a violent seizure, and this just happened. It wasn't something you could control, so please don't wrack yourself with guilt over it. If it weren't for you, I would be dead." Roy really hoped he was getting through to the kid. It looked like his face was lightening up a little. "I'm convinced the bullet you took has afflicted you in some way, that's why we couldn't find it inside you. Once we figure out what the problem is, we _will_ fix it."

Maybe the Colonel was right. Edward still wasn't feeling right. Not at all. He still felt like something dark was lurking deep inside of him. Not to mention his head was still throbbing. What was going on?

What was this?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Whispers in the Night**

 **A/N: As always, thanks for reading and reviewing. I always get so pumped when I receive feedback from you. I will try and get you guys an evil Mustang fic once this one is done, but please know this story is long as I have been working on it for quite a while now. But I'll do my best to get that out to you when I get the chance. I love you guys!~~~**

Before anyone knew it, it was nightfall. It was late, well after midnight. Edward had finally managed to fall asleep. The only reason for that, however, was because the morphine in his IV drip made him drowsy. Alphonse quietly waited at his brother's bedside. Since he was bound to that suit of armor, he wasn't able to sleep anymore. Nights tended to be lonely for the boy, but he made the best of it by reading books on Alchemy and watching over Ed. So many things were lingering on his mind. Among other things was the fact that he had spent far too many nights watching his older brother recover in a hospital bed.

Ed always felt so bad for Al because he couldn't feel the warmth of the sun, or the taste the crispness in the most perfectly ripened apple. But among not being able to enjoy those senses anymore, there was something else he couldn't feel—pain. Anguish. If Al had gotten shot, or ran through with a pipe, nothing would happen. He would feel nothing. He wouldn't bleed. But Edward could feel pain, and he felt it quite often. Brother almost died today. Getting his flesh and blood body back meant nothing if he couldn't share it with Ed.

There was no Al without Ed.

And besides, he didn't want it like that. But whether he meant to or not, his Brother did attack the Colonel. Something happened to make this occur. Al rose from the wooden chair and decided that this was the time to talk to Colonel Mustang. There was more going on than what he was saying, and he intended to figure out what it was.

Al left the room as quietly as he could, the last thing Ed needed was an interruption in his sleep. When he made his way down the hall a few doors down, he peered into the small window on the top of the Colonel's door. Luckily, he saw that Mustang was still awake and seemed to be working on something. He knocked on the door twice, and when Mustang saw the boy through the glass, he motioned for him to enter.

The door opened slowly and Al peeked inside. "I hope I'm not interrupting you too late, Colonel." He cautiously made his way inside and to the chair next to Mustang's bed.

Roy happily dropped the couple of papers he held in his hands. "I always welcome anything that gets me out of doing paperwork."

"What kind of paperwork is it?" Al asked.

Roy let out a sigh, his face growing slightly serious. "Reports on the mission your brother and I went on. Apparently being injured and bed ridden isn't an excuse for getting me out of this crap."

"Is Ms. Hawkeye still here?" Al asked, steering the conversation away a little bit.

"I sent her to go get he and me some coffee, because if I have to stay up all night working on this, I'm not doing it alone." Roy said. He put the rest of his papers down and gave Alphonse his full attention. "Now what it it you're really wanting to discuss with me, kid?"

Gosh, Colonel Mustang was sure a smart man. Was his face that obvious? Wait—he didn't have a face!

Al rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "I'm that obvious, huh?"

Roy chuckled. "Just a little." He said, making a small hand gesture. "What's on your mind?"

Al felt nervous. He didn't want to call the Colonel out on anything, but there was something he was hiding. Edward was his brother and he deserved to know the whole story.

"Is there..." He began slowly. Al was a lot of things, but forward wasn't one of them. "...something you're not telling me about Brother? Do you know what's happening to him? He doesn't seem like his usual self."

Roy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, for starters, he thinks the deaths of all those people on the train are on him." he said sadly. "I saw it all first hand, Al. He did everything someone could do. But he still blames himself."

Al looked down sadly. "Yeah...I know. But...there's something else going on, and I have a feeling you know what that is."

Roy paused a moment before speaking. "Alphonse, I really don't know what happened to your brother, but there were some...odd things that occurred."

"Odd things?" Al said.

"Well, for one thing, the bullet that Fullmetal took didn't go all the way through him, so essentially, it should still be inside of him, right?" Roy asked.

Al nodded. "Yes, of course. No question."

Roy looked at Al dead in his eyes and shook his head. "Not the case. I looked all over Fullmetal to see if I could find it, because I knew it had to be somewhere—but it wasn't. It just...wasn't. I put him through a lot of unnecessary pain looking for it. After a while, I realized it wasn't there and if I had kept going I just would have made things worse."

Al gasped out a little. That just couldn't be possible. "Maybe you could have just missed it? It couldn't of just disappeared."

"I know that." Roy agreed. "I think the bullet he was shot with...dissolved somehow."

"Dissolved?"

"It's the only thing that makes the slightest bit of sense." Roy told him. "The bullet wound seemed to be causing him a lot more pain than I'd expected from him. I've been shot before myself, I know how it feels. Fullmetal should have been able to handle it without collapsing. The kid's as tough as nails." 

Al nodded. "You've got that right."-

Roy hesitated before he decided to continue. "I also found...something in his blood, I assume it was part of the bullet."

Al sat back anxiously. "Do you know what it was?"

Roy just looked at him for a while. His face clearing showing that he was debating on whether to let the kid in on this or not.

"Colonel..." Al said in a saddened voice. "Please tell me...he's my brother. I deserve to know what's happening to him."

Roy closed his eyes, conflicted, running his fingers through his dark raven hair. "I think...Fullmetal was shot with a bullet made from a Philosopher's Stone."

Al jumped up from his seat quickly, making it hit the ground behind him with a loud thud. "What!? A Philosopher's Stone!? What does that mean!? What's going to happen to Ed!?"

Roy shook his head. Edward wasn't the only one carrying the burden of guilt around. The defeated look on the Colonel's face was apparent. "I don't know, Alphonse." He said with shame. "I wish I did."

Al wasn't sure he could feel anything in this armored suit body, but there was something that he could most definitely feel in that moment—pure and utter panic.

XXXX

It was that same damn dream again. Edward and Alphonse watching as their father abandoned them. Walked out on them in their mother when they were basically babies. No, it wasn't just a dream—it was a nightmare. And it upset him...a lot. Why did he even care? Hohenhiem was a terrible, disgusting waste of a man, and even worse as a father. He and Alphonse were better off without him in their lives. Ed didn't care. He just simply didn't care.

Except that he did.

This all may have just been some sucky nightmare, but at the same time it wasn't only that. It was a memory. He just remembered wanting to cry. Cry his eyes out a he watched his 'father' walk out the front door, leaving the three of them behind, yet again, and him screaming for the bastard to stay.

"Dad! Please don't go! Please don't leave us!" Little Edward cried, trying to follow his dad out the door, but his mother held him back. "I'll be good! I promise! Dad! DAD!"

"Don't go!" Edward cried as he jolted awake. He was sitting upright, breathing hard and covered in a cold sweat. The pain in his head was enough to make him cry out a little. Why was he getting these headaches? The pain wasn't easing off this time either, the pain was climbing. Then the crescendo. The pain was enough to make him throw his hands to his head and choke back a scream. A dark feeling was seeping it's way into him. Anger, hatred. He didn't know what the hell was going on but all he knew was he had to _fight it_!

"The more you try and fight it, the worse the pain will be." An eerily familiar voice said to him, from seemingly out of nowhere. Then, at the edge of Ed's bed, the man in the black and mask appeared. "Might as well give it up. This isn't a fight you're going to win, Edward."

Edward gasped in fright of his sudden presence. Who the hell was this guy!? But he decided to fight the clawing in his brain long enough to ask a question that had been nagging at him. "How the hell do you know my name, you freak!"

The man shook his head. "Now, now, Edward. Is that any way to treat an old friend?" He asked, pulling the mask from his face.

Ed let out a startled gasp again and his eyes went extremely wide. "No...it can't be!" He cried. "Ling?"

The man resembling Ling laughed and shook his head. "Why does everyone get my name wrong?" He asked playfully. "The name is Greed, kid. Homonculus? Remember?" He asked, almost sounding insulted that the kid remembered Ling over him.

Ed was dumbfounded. He could barely form a thought, due to the pain and shock. "That can't be right. I thought you and Ling were-"

"Buddy-buddy?" Greed asked, "Hombres? Happy sharing two souls in one body? Hardly." Greed said with a scoff, walking closer to Ed's bedside, looking at the IV drip he was hooked to. "Do you really think I would share my body with someone? I'm _Greed_ , kid. I'm only out for one person—and that's me." He went on. Continuing to look at the machine, he considered disconnecting Ed from it, but decided against it. He just walked casually back to the edge of the bed and sat. "Not that it wasn't fun 'conspiring' with you guys. I just got a better offer. Plain and simple."

Greed did have a point. He was always selfish and put himself first, but he thought when they worked together that he had gotten passed all that. He and Ling seemed to bond a little and had an understanding. But it had been quite a while since Ed had heard from either Greed or Ling. Deep down he hoped he would always have those two as allies because they were...friends, right?

"S-so...y-you're the one who sh-shot me, Greed?" Ed asked. He couldn't believe the words he was speaking. Greed was his friend, or at least he _thought_ he was.

"Bingo!" Greed said happily, making himself a finger pistol pointed at Ed and pretended to fire. "To be fair, shorty, I was trying to aim for Mustang—not you. It isn't my fault you decided to stick your nose where it didn't belong."

Ed scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Short jokes? Really? I thought you were more clever than that." he said. "You're pathetic."

Greed chuckled and raised his hands. "Touche."

"Why would you want to kill Mustang anyways? He helped you out before, Greed." Ed reminded him.

Greed waved his hands in a dismissive manner. "Old news, kid. I don't live in the past. And, like I told you before, boss man made me a better offer."

"And who is boss man?" Ed asked, he never liked the pronoun game.

Greed looked at Edward condescendingly. "Nice try there, Metal. My lips are sealed tight."

Edward felt enraged. "Then why are you here!?" He screamed, the sudden outburst made his head pound harder. "What the hell do you want?" He asked through gritted teeth.

Greed shot up from his seat and pranced over to Edward. "Now, _that_ I can tell you." He said cheerfully. Was this all just fun and games for him? Greed got closer to Ed to the point his face was right next to his. "It's you, Fullmetal. I want your power." he said simply. A mean grin hit his face. "Did it hurt? Being shot with a Philosopher's Stone?"

There wasn't a question of it anymore. This sick sonofabitch was enjoying this.

Ed shuddered in his bed. "What!?" He exclaimed. "A...Philosopher's Stone!?" That was why Colonel Mustang couldn't find it in his body! His body had taken the stone in and absorbed it! What was he going to do!? "No...you didn't! You're lying!" He cried.

Greed pulled out his revolver that held the Philosopher's Stone bullets and pulled once out from the chamber. It was exactly what he had said. His body had absorbed a Philosopher's Stone—a stone made by souls of the living.

The next thought hit Edward like a brick. "Those people on the train...you killed them so you could create those stones didn't you?" Ed was seething at this point.

Greed smiled and tossed the stone to Fullmetal. "You're two for two there, half-pint."

Ed caught the stone and just looked at it. Something so small took hundreds of souls to create. The small rock that was carved into the shape of a bullet resonated in his hands.

"Sorry, kid. I'm afraid you were pumped with 100% Philosopher's Stone, just like the one you're holding in your hand." Greed told him.

Edward just shook his head back and forth in disbelief. "No...no!" He cried out, falling forward on the bed. He didn't give a shit who saw him anymore—he sobbed. Greed just shook his head at the sad sight and ripped the stone from Ed's hands.

"You really need to pull yourself together." Greed said, putting the bullet and gun back in his coat. "If you had just let Mustang take the shot as intended, all of this burden would be on him—not you." He stood one more. "This is all compassion gets you—pain and suffering."

Greed looked down at the weeping boy and felt something pang inside of him. Guilt? Pity? No, of course not. That wasn't possible. So he shook it off. He walked down to sit closer to him. "Look, what you did for your Colonel was admirable, but it was really fucking stupid."

"So what's going to happen to me now?" Ed asked, his face still against the mattress. "Will I become like you? Carrying out horrible jobs because I was 'ordered' to?"

Greed let out a long sigh. "Come on, kid, you're not stupid. You can feel what the stone is compelling you to do. You're struggling just to hang onto yourself."

The pain in Edward's head was blinding at this point. He let out a scream that he tried to silence as best he could against the bed, gripping the sheets tightly in his hands. Greed then reached down and grabbed Ed by the hair and forced his head back up. The kid's golden eyes were glowing bright red—just like a Philosopher's Stone.

"Don't fight it anymore." Greed insisted in an evil voice. Play your role like a good little boy, and kill Roy Mustang."

Once Greed had release Edward, his hair had fallen from it's blond ponytail, and now cascaded creepily around his face. Red eyes peered through the bright hair, and a sinister grin spread across his lips.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Two of a Kind**

 **A/N: Hello, guys! This chapter is kind of a long one so I hope you like it. I'm doing my best to get chapters out quick as I can. Also I just got a job as a preschool teacher! I'm so excited and happy about it, however there will be classes I have to take in the future so sometimes updates may be a few days late. This story WILL be finished no matter what, so no worries. As always, I love you guys and I hope you enjoy!~~~~~**

 **XXXX**

Back in Mustang's room, the Colonel got an uneasy feeling. He couldn't really place it, but something definitely seemed off. He closed his eyes for a moment and tuned his hearing. Alphonse soon caught on to his sudden change in demeanor.

"What is it, Colonel?" Al asked him.

Roy motioned his head towards his hospital room's door. And there he stood—Fullmetal.

Edward was just standing there silently. His face couldn't be seen due to all the hair falling over his face. For what seemed like forever, there was just dead air. Silence.

Why wasn't Ed talking? Why was he out of bed? This was more than enough for Al to know that something wasn't right with his brother so he made his way over to him.

"Brother?" Al asked carefully. Was he sleepwalking or something? "You shouldn't be out of bed." He told him. "Come on, I'll help you get back to your room." With that, he gently took his older brother's arm, only for Ed to remove him from it a second later. Al was taken back by Brother throwing him off of him like that.

Roy just stared at Fullmetal for a moment. It was just as he feared. Fullmetal was out of it again, just like he was when he took an automail in the gut at the cabin. Roy's eyes widened when he saw one of Edward's eyes peeking out through his blond locks. It was bright red and glowing.

Just like a Philosopher's Stone.

Edward still didn't speak a word. He just lifted his automail, as if to show it off to the Colonel, and slowly ran his flesh fingers over it, turning it into the sharp blade he usually used to fight his enemies. Finally, the hair in Ed's face was pushed away. Both eyes were red and the kid had a look of pure malice on his face. It was mixed with something else.

Pure amusement.

Roy felt nervous, but his face and voice didn't show it at all. He casually looked from Edward to Alphonse and spoke. "Alphonse, I want you to go and get Havoc and Hawkeye." He then turned his stone gaze back to Edward.

Al whimpered in protest. "W-What? But I-"

"Just go!" Roy yelled in a firm and commanding voice, still watching Fullmetal like a hawk.

Al didn't want to leave his brother or the Colonel right now. It killed him that he was going to have to, but Colonel Mustang more often than not knew what he was doing and how to handle troublesome situations. So he did as he was told.

"O-Okay!" The large suit of armor said, bolting out of the room quickly.

Seeing his brother leave made the smirk on Ed's face even wider. "That was really stupid of you to let him leave, 'Colonel'." Edward said mockingly, his voice sounding slightly deeper than it usually did.

But Roy never backed down to anyone and he damn sure wasn't going to start now. "So, what? You're going to kill me then? Just like that?" He asked. Roy's hand that was furthest away from Edward went to the side of the bed and began to search for something under the mattress.

Edward looked at his bladed automail. "No, not necessarily. I could always torture you first if you'd like." With his words his gaze went back to Mustang and he slowly crept closer. Once he made it to Mustang, he pointed his blade against his chest. "One thrust and you're dead." He said coldly.

"Fine by me." Roy snapped back. "I've never been too fond of torture anyways—so grotesque." At last, Roy's other hand found what it had been searching for. An ignition glove.

Edward got an enraged look on his face. "I never said there wasn't going to be any torture you Colonel fuck." Edward began to drive the blade slowly further into Roy's chest. Roy groaned and fought the urge to scream. Once he had gotten the glove on his hand, he quickly put his hand in the boy's face—ready to snap at any given moment.

Edward chuckled and took a step back. Roy felt immediate relief from being freed of the blade. "Do you really expect me to believe that you would actually scorch me?" he said, taunting the Colonel.

Roy just kept his stone gaze. "You should." He warned Edward, before snapping. Edward screamed and staggered backwards, rubbing his flesh arm that had been burned. The attack wasn't enough to do any real damage, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt like hell. A few moment later, once the kid got his composure back, he looked back to Mustang.

"Colonel?" Ed asked. His eyes were golden again and his rage seemed to cease.

Roy narrowed his eyes, seeing that his eyes were back to normal. "Fullmetal?"

Edward looked down to see that his automail was in blade form. The tip had a small amount of blood on it. He looked over to Roy and saw that he was bleeding a little in the center of his chest.

Was he actually fighting the Colonel? Why was his automail in it's bladed form? Why did Mustang have an ignition glove on? Why was his arm burned? What was happening!?

Putting the pieces together, Ed started to tremble. "What was I..." He trailed off, unable to find the right words he wanted to use. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real. This confusion made his head ache all the more and he let out a scream, throwing his hands to his head.

Roy stepped very slowly towards the boy. "What is it, Fullmetal?" He asked, worried for the kid. He didn't really know what to do, so he just kept calm and at ease. Maybe that would relax Ed a little. "Talk to me." He said gently.

Edward's pained wails soon gave way to a feral scream. He lunged forward with his blade, aiming for Roy's throat. His eyes were red once more. Roy moved to prepare to snap the kid again, but he just couldn't do it. He couldn't mortally wound Fullmetal, no matter what he did.

Just before the blade made contact with the Colonel's throat, Edward seemed to freeze in place. He let out a pained breath and his eyes flickered back to their normal, golden color. He fell forward suddenly and Roy caught him. The boy was unconscious. What in God's name was going on!?

With a firm grip on Ed, he saw that Havoc, and Alphonse were in the doorway, and Hawkeye right behind Edward. She had given the kid a swift hit to the back of the neck to knock him out.

"Are you okay, sir?" Hawkeye asked, her gun in tow in the off chance she needed to use it.

No. No he wasn't okay.

XXXX

Edward found himself once again waking up in a bed. How long had he been asleep? Did he have any dreams? Nightmares? Why was everything so hazy? His entire body felt like lead, like all of him was made out of automail. One thing that remained consistent was his migraine. It was still there, pounding in his head. As he went to place a hand on his head to ease the pain, he found that one of his arms couldn't move. His flesh one. He pulled a couple times but to no avail.

When he finally found the strength to open his eyes, he realized he wasn't in the hospital anymore. He was somewhere dark and dank like a dungeon—no, more like a prison cell. His flesh arm was chained to the wall.

The first thing that came to mind wasn't 'Am I captured?' or anything. It was the fact that, in the position, he couldn't use alchemy to defend himself should the situation call for it. He looked around in confusion for a little bit, then turned his attention to the barred doors before him. There stood Colonel Mustang. He had his arms folded and the look on his face was an odd mixture of anger, sadness and worry.

"Hello, Fullmetal." He said simply.

Ed leaned forward a little bit. "Colonel? Why am I locked up in here? What happened?" He asked.

Wait—that's right.

Greed had sneaked into his room last night and gave him an explanation. He had been shot with a Philosopher's Stone bullet and was ordered by Greed, and whoever the hell that bastard works for, to kill Colonel Mustang. But why?

"You've been out for quite a while." Roy continued.

Out? What did he mean by that? Oh, he tried to kill Mustang again! It was fuzzy as all hell but he still remembered it. He had gone to Mustang's room and tried to slit his throat. What had stopped him from succeeding in that?

"Lieutenants Havoc and Hawkeye apprehended you before you were able to kill me." Mustang said next, as if he was able to read the kid's mind.

Edward didn't know what to say. There was nothing _to_ say. It wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't change the fact that he had attacked his superior twice now.

Edward sighed and brought his gaze down. "I'm so, so sorry Colonel." Was all he could bring himself to say.

"Don't be." Roy said. "You were shot with a Philosopher's Stone."

Edward gasped in surprise and looked up. "You mean...you know?"

Of course he knew. The Colonel was one of the smartest people he'd ever met. Besides all that, he was there when he was shot. It explained everything. His behavior and the reason the bullet couldn't be found in his body.

Roy went on, continuing to be seeming to read Ed's mind. "When I was looking for the bullet to get it out for you, you recall I wasn't able to locate it. I know for a fact it didn't go through. Which only left the possibility that you weren't shot with a typical round. It was a round made of a Philosopher's Stone."

Edward knew all of this already, but hearing the Colonel confirm it...just hit him like a ton of bricks. Deep down, he had hoped that Greed was lying to him. But he wasn't. All those souls lost on the train that day were now infused into him. He didn't want this! He didn't want to be infused with a stone!

Tears were threatening to fall from Ed's eyes again, but he refused to let them fall.

"I know." Ed said sadly. "Greed told me."

Roy's eyes narrowed and his eyebrows ran together. "Greed?" He asked.

That was the last person Roy thought Ed would say was behind this. Last time Greed was around, they all had worked together to save that small town. They were friends, weren't they? Also, what about Ling? Where did he fall in all of this? Was he an enemy now too

"But Greed's power didn't allow him to become invisible." Roy said.

"He can do it now." Ed said glumly.

"When did he tell you all of this?" Roy asked next.

Edward sighed and pushed his hair out of his face. This is why he hated wearing his hair down. It always got in the damn way. "In my hospital room. Right before I tried to..." He trailed off. He didn't want to say those words again.

Damn it! Why did Fullmetal have to be left alone in his hospital room? Why wasn't he more careful about putting a guard by his door!?

"That's my fault." Roy admitted dejectedly. "I didn't realize you weren't being watched at that moment."

Edward suddenly shut his eyes tight and turned away. "Please, Colonel. Will you just leave? Being around you right now makes me...anxious."

Edward didn't want to be around the Colonel because he had attacked him twice now. Who knows when the stone would take hold of him again and make him attack Mustang again. He couldn't take that risk.

Roy was just as stubborn as Edward, and he wasn't going anywhere. "Was there anything else of note that Greed told you?"

Why did Mustang have to ask that?

Edward nodded in response. "Yeah. He sure did, he told me that I wasn't the initial target—you were."

Roy nodded his head. This didn't surprise him. It made more sense for him, the Colonel to be targeted over a major. Even if he didn't need to draw transmutation circles to transmute. "That makes sense." He said. "He did open fire at me when you jumped in front of the bullet to save me."

As much as that made sense to him, one thing didn't come together. "But why would Greed come after me? Why now?" He asked, thinking of any sort or answer that made sense.

Edward chuckled weakly. "I wanted to ask him the same thing, but after he told me about the stone, he wasn't as forthcoming with information."

Roy grunted angrily and grabbed his hair in frustration. "Damn it, Fullmetal!" He yelled. "Why couldn't you of let that damned bullet hit me instead!" The guilt of this was effecting Roy way more than he thought it was. It was eating away at him now. It was him that should be struggling right now, not Fullmetal. Edward had done something heroic and now all that was happening was he was being punished for it.

"If you're expecting me to apologize for jumping in front of that bullet, you can just forger it. It isn't going to happen." Ed told him. Roy let out a slight gasp in shock. "You were in danger and I reacted. If you were me, you would have done the same thing and you know it."

Fullmetal was right. He would have taken that bullet for him, or any one of his men really, in an instant. No question. He would die for his team.

Roy sighed a little at his next statement. "Yeah. You have a point."

That's just the way he and Edward were, and that wasn't going to change.

"Hard as this may be for you to believe, Fullmetal. I've taken a bullet for someone before too...in Ishval." Roy said.

Roy never liked to talk about Ishval. It was a part of his past that he would sooner forget. He did terrible things there. Nightmares plagued him most night. The fire, the screams, all those dead by his hand. But he had his orders, it had to be done. As much as he hated himself for it.

After he made it out of the war, he spent most nights drinking. When he began to really spiral out of control, someone finally pulled him out of it. Maes Hughes. He got him back into shape and turned his life around. But Maes was gone now, so he'd have to figure things out for himself. Maes was dead, but the nightmares didn't relent.

Ed looked at Roy perplexed. "You took a bullet for someone?" He asked.

"Yes." Roy answered. "And like you, I didn't regret it. I still don't to this day."

"Who did you take it for?" Ed asked, although he had a pretty good idea who it was already.

"Maes Hughes." Roy said back, sadness lacing his face. He didn't talk about Maes a lot since he was killed. It brought the pain back, and he had to be strong.

Edward was right in his assumption.

"We were stationed near a small town." Roy told him. "I can't even remember the name of it. Our orders were to eliminated anyone and everyone we saw."

 _(Flashback)_

 _It was only the third time Roy had held a gun in his life, if you didn't count him training at the shooting range. He didn't like using guns or weapons, he felt far more comfortable using his flame alchemy. He felt more in control. But the area they were in right now was pure sand and desert. He couldn't target his enemies properly with precision. That was the problem with flame alchemy, if it was raining outside, or you couldn't see your target, you were basically useless._

 _Useless. God, Roy hated that word._

" _Jesus, Roy." Maes said to him with annoyance. "Your safety's still on." He reached over to Roy's firearm and clicked off the safety. How could someone make such a idiotic mistake?_

" _Shit." Roy cursed himself. "I just wish this damn sandstorm would go away so I could use my alchemy instead of this stupid thing." He complained, looking to his gun._

" _You're just still getting used to using it." Maes assured him. "You didn't master flame alchemy over night, right? It's the same with this. You'll get it, it just takes time._

 _The two were having this casual conversation while they were hiding behind a barrier. Every once in a while they would fire off a few shots to make sure they weren't being flanked. Finally, all the gunfire ceased and the quiet was relaxing. Roy still sat behind the barricade, fidgeting with his gun, while Maes got up to stretch._

" _I am soooooo glad that's over." Maes stated, tossing his gun to the floor—a standard grade machine gun._

" _Tell me about it." Roy said, trying to slide a new clip into his handgun._

 _Neither of the two heard the Ishvalan man creeping up to them. "Hey! Soldier assholes!" The man called out to them. He was carrying a gun and was aiming it at Maes, who was still mid stretch and his gun was still on the floor. Roy was still struggling getting the clip loaded in his gun._

 _Roy and Maes looked to one another in confusion. They were certain that they had killed all the targets in this area. Somehow, this guy managed to slip through the cracks._

 _The Ishvalan man looked in his mid twenties with white hair and red eyes. He looked crazed, like he had seen far too much in this war. "You fuckers killed my friend!" He yelled._

 _Roy knew the man was going to fly off the handle. "MAES!" Roy shrieked, dropping his half loaded gun and running over to the man. There wasn't any time for him to grab Maes' weapon, he just ambushed the man, hoping to catch him by surprise._

 _The two wrestled a few moments with the gun. Everything screeched to a halt when the gun went off with a loud pop. Roy and the Ishvalan looked at one another in horror for a little while. One of them had taken the bullet. The question of who it was was answered when Roy coughed up some blood and staggered back a little. A bright red stain was spreading across his blue coat._

" _Roy!" Maes cried out. Maes looked at the Ishvalan and the shooter looked pretty happy with himself. This made Maes seethe. He grabbed his gun from the ground and shot the man square in the head. He was dead before he even hit the ground._

 _Roy stumbled for a few seconds before he fell to his knees, and then onto his back. "No, no, no, come on Roy, you can't do this okay?" Maes said, fighting to be calm and failing. He holstered his gun and darted to his friend. He immediately applied pressure to the wound, Roy screaming painfully as he did so._

" _Maes..." Roy said weakly, with labored breaths. "Are you...okay?"_

 _Maes was stunned. How could he be asking him that? He was the one bleeding on the ground right now. "What the hell were you thinking!?"_

 _Roy chuckled weakly. "Don't know." Roy answered. "I didn't really think. I just...reacted."_

 _Maes examined the wound. "That was reckless as all hell." He said. "But thank you."_

" _Just don't make me do it again." Roy joked._

 _Maes scoffed at this. "Bad news, looks like the bullet didn't come out the other side. I'm going to have to dig it out."_

 _Dig it out? Did he have to phrase it like that?_

 _Roy winced and shut his eyes tightly. "Shit."_

" _Hey-" Maes said in a firm voice. "You're going to pull through this. I promise." As serious as he sounded, he still managed to also sound gentle and soothing._

" _Don't make promises you can't keep, Hughes." Roy warned him._

" _I don't." Maes told him. "Just keep your eyes open and keep talking to me." He tried to shift the topic to something Roy may like. "I saw you eying that new girl at the firing range." He hoped this would distract Roy just a little bit._

" _Who, Riza?" Roy said, trying not to sound impressed with her. He thought he had been more candid when he was checking her out. "She's alright." He lied. She was way more than just alright. "I usually prefer girls with darker hair."_

 _Maes pulled his pocket knife out and prepared to remove the bullet. "So you say." He said, seeing right through Roy's lies. He inserted the knife into the bullet hole and he felt Roy's body tightly tense. His backed arched and he screamed through gritted teeth. "She got the second highest rank in sharpshooting didn't she?"_

" _First actually." Roy said through his pain. This busted Roy. Maes knew that Riza had the highest accuracy and just wanted to prove that Roy cared about her more than he let on. "She..." Roy began slowly. Talking and focusing was growing more and more difficult now._

" _Keep talking to me, Roy." Maes ordered him. "We're almost done."_

 _Roy fought to ease his harsh breathing. He had to keep talking. But...what was it they were talking about again? Blood was spilling all over and Roy was getting dizzy and disoriented._

" _Maes...I...I'm..." Roy tried to speak but his words came out in broken sentences._

 _Maes saw Roy's eyes starting to roll in the back of his head, indicating he was getting ready to pass out. "Roy, you have to stay with me, okay? You have to stay awake." Maes kind voice was now starting to falter._

 _Roy didn't give a response._

" _Shit." Maes cursed to himself. He had to go even faster. By the time he got the bullet out, Roy's eyes were staring blanking to the sky. Maes took Roy's face in his hands, trying desperately to wake him. "Roy? ROY!?" He screamed._

 _(End Flashback)_

"Obviously, I survived." Roy told Ed, placing his hand over the area where he had been shot. "Maes was able to get me to help before I died. To this day I have no idea how he managed to do that." With his words, he felt as if he were mourning the man all over again.

"That's Hughes for ya." Edward said. He missed him too, everyone that knew Hughes missed him. But no more than Gracia and Elysia.

"Not once did I ever regret hopping on that gun, not if it meant I could save someone's life. Was it dumb and reckless? Yes. But I'd do it again." Roy said. "So, I understand why you did it. When you're in situation like that, rank and orders don't mean a damn thing. It's that second. That _one_ second where you can't bear to lose that person. They're your comrades, your brothers...your family." Roy said, looking to Edward. "I can't thank you enough, Fullmetal. I'm just sorry you're suffering now instead of me."

Edward was silent a moment, then he smiled at the Colonel. "It was worth it."

Roy smiled too. He was so proud of Fullmetal. He was really turning into a nice young man. He reminded Roy a lot of himself. Maybe he was rubbing off on the kid.

"Colonel..." Edward went on, speaking hesitantly. "You know I would never...hurt you intentionally right?" He was embarrassed to ask the question, but he just had to know the answer.

Roy tilted his head to the side in a sympathetic manner. "Of course I know that, Fullmetal." He said in a kind voice. "Stop torturing yourself about this. It isn't really you that's attacking me anyways. I swear we're going to get you back to normal, okay?"

Seeming not to be convinced, Edward nodded. "Yeah." His head began to hurt again. He tensed and made a pitiful little noise.

Roy walked closer to the bars when he saw Ed was in pain. "Another headache?" He asked, but he already knew the answer. "Describe to me the best you can exactly what it is you're feeling right now."

Edward writhed in his bed. "My head..." He choked out. "It just...really hurts." The pain was so bad he couldn't find any better words to describe it at the moment.

Roy watched the boy for a little bit. It made sense. Edward was always consumed by terrible headaches before he tried to attack. The couple of times he watched Ed experience this, he watched as the kid was consumed by pain, fighting whatever this was, only to lose every time.

Roy got up to the cell door and wrapped his hand around one of the bars. Watching Fullmetal struggle like this was killing him. He went to unlock the door so he could go to him, only to have Edward scream at him.

"Don't! Please!" Edward cried, holding up a hand to Roy. "I don't want to hurt you again!"

Roy paused for a moment, but his hand never left the bar. He went to pull it open slightly.

"Stay back!" Edward screamed. The kid was really fighting this as hard as he could. Fighting the pain, fighting the urge to want to rip Mustang to shreds. The more he struggled, the more he ached to see Mustang bleed. Edward couldn't fight anymore and his eyes went back to bright red. Like an animal he lurched at the Colonel, only to be held back by his chained hand. He screamed in fury at the Colonel, desperate to break free and kill the man.

Roy just looked sadly at him for a moment. Looked at his red eyes and the feral being before him that wanted to crush him into nothing. Roy hated this. Hated it so fucking much.

The screams and growls were eventually replaced with strained breathing.

"Just..." Edward said in a shaking voice. "...please...kill me."

Roy's eyes grew wide. Did Fullmetal really just say that?

"Do it!" Ed screamed again.

"No!" Roy screamed back at him. It was hard enough for him to live through losing Maes, but he wasn't going to lose another comrade, especially not by his own hand. "I'm going to get you out of this, Edward. You just have to trust me." He'd used the boy's first name again, maybe that would get him to settle down.

Edward found it hard to speak through his strain. "With this stone in me...I won't stop...until...I kill you." With his words, tears fell. Tears from his eyes that were flickering back and forth from golden to crimson. "And I don't want that, Colonel. Please don't make me hurt you anymore!" A groan came soon after and he gave way once more to darkness.

Roy just shook his head, unwavering. There was no way he could do something like that. "I can't..." A whisper was as loud as the words would come out.

"Ugh, enough of all this sentimental bullshit." Greed's voice said in disgust, emerging suddenly inside of Edward's cell. Snapping the chains on the wall, Edward was now free. "There he is, kid." Greed whispered in his ear. "Go get him."

Edward's head shot up and he darted at the door in fury. His eyes deep red and filled with hate. Luckily for Roy, the cell was still locked. So, all Roy could do was just look at Edward face to face. Edward grabbed the bars, wanting nothing more than to tear this door off and kill Mustang. Roy stood there, his stone face on. He looked from Edward over to Greed.

"Fullmetal told me that I was your original target in your attack." He said.

Greed nodded. "Indeed you were, but as you can see, things change."

Roy looked back to Edward and it made his chest ache. None of this should be happening to the kid, it should be happening to him.

"Then why don't I give you what you initially wanted?" Roy said to Greed. "Let Fullmetal go and take me instead."

"Aww, look at you Mustang. Being all noble and heroic." Greed said in a teasing voice. "But it's too late for bravado, however. Surely you've noticed the kid's been wanting to tear your throat out a lot more frequently than before? Pretty soon, he's going to be this way forever."

Roy looked at the kid who used to be Fullmetal. No, he couldn't be this way forever! He wouldn't allow it!

"WHAT THE FUCK IS IT YOU WANT, GREED!?" Roy roared at the homonculus, far more emotional than he had planned to be. He hit the cell door hard with his outraged words. He felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, his ribs still hadn't recovered all the way yet.

Taunting the Colonel, Greed walked right next to Fullmetal and placed a hand on his shoulder. Roy's blood ran hot. He wanted to incinerate every limb off of this guy one piece at a time. Edward was standing too close for him to get a proper flame attack off without him being caught in it.

"What do I want?" Greed repeated. "Oh, don't you worry, I'll get it. And this little blondie is going to be the one to deliver it for me."

Edward gripped the bars, seeming to be coming around again.

"Edward?" Roy asked, placing his hand on Ed's flesh one, letting him know he was here for him. Always. "Hey are you okay? Talk to me."

Greed let out a tsk tsk sound. "Seems like you're not as ready as I thought you were there, little shorty." He said, hitting Edward over the head, knocking him out cold.

"You bastard!" Roy yelled, as he scurried to get the keys out so he could open the cell and go to him.

Greed scooped up Ed in his hands and threw him over his shoulder. "Sorry about your luck, Colonel. The kid's coming with me. But don't worry, you'll see him again. That's a promise." With that, Greed and Edward both turned invisible, and were gone. Long gone by the time Roy had gotten the door open. His gloves already on, he just started snapping. Over and over again, vigorously, screaming at the top of his lungs. "GREED!"

The bed in the cell went up in flames in an instant. Soon all four walls were scorched with black ash.

"Colonel!" A voice called out from behind him. But Roy didn't even notice, he just kept on snapping. "Stop! Please, stop Colonel!" The voice begged again. Roy then felt himself being hugged from behind. "Please...just stop."

Roy finally gave in and his snapping slowed, eventually stopping. Roy hit his knees. "He's gone." He said in a defeated voice. "Greed took him, lieutenant."

"I know." Riza said, now on her knees, still hugging him tight. "I'm so sorry I didn't make it here sooner."

Roy didn't say anything in response. He just turned around and hugged Riza back. She gently stroked the back of his head to try and soothe him. Riza wasn't stupid. She had seen how close he and Edward have gotten since the mission on the train. He had gotten very protective over the boy. Now, he was devastated, no doubt bringing back feelings of when he couldn't keep Maes safe. The man loved Edward and Alphonse like sons, although he had never said the words out loud.

"We'll get him back, okay?" She said to him as she held him. "I promise you that."

She just sat there embracing him, being there for him. Trying her best to ignore the wetness she was starting to feel on her shoulder.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Double Dose**

 **A/N: Back again with yet another chapter. I'm going to do my best to try and update every weekend. Thank you all for sticking with it. As always, I love you all and I hope you enjoy.~~~**

Roy wasn't able to give Alphonse the news about Edward, neither was Riza. So, it ultimately fell to Havoc. He fidgeted nervously in his seat, flicking around the cigarette that was in his mouth. He'd always meant to quit, but in times like this, he felt he needed them most of all. Maybe tomorrow. Digging around in his pocket, he finally found his lighter, a silver one from one of his exes. The flame ignited the cigarette. He puffed on it a few times to amp himself up.

"Listen, Alphonse..." Havoc began, taking another drag off of his cigarette.

Alphonse was growing impatient. He hated when people would beat around the bush in telling him things. "Please, Jean. Just tell me what's going on." He said. "Is it something about Brother? Did he attack Colonel Mustang again?"

Havoc rubbed the back of his suddenly sore neck. "Well, yes." He admitted. "At least he tried to."

Tried to? What the heck did that even mean? Brother was locked up in a cell so he couldn't hurt anybody, right? It didn't make sense that he could attack someone if he wasn't in contact with anyone.

Alphonse found himself asking more questions. "Is Colonel Mustang okay? Is Brother safe"

Havoc grimaced. This was going to suck.

"The Colonel is safe. In fact, he's with Hawkeye right now." Havoc said.

Okay. So what was the problem?

Havoc sighed and continued on. "Al, your brother was in his cell and somehow someone came in and took him when he was having another one of his attacks." He explained. "As it turns out, that someone...is Greed."

This was way too much information for Al to take in all at once. It took him a second or two to process everything.

"Did you say Greed?" Al asked in confusion. "I thought he was on our side now. Why on earth would he take Brother?"

Havoc looked saddened. Alphonse may not of had a face anymore, but somehow he could still see it falling. "I don't know, kid. I haven't been briefed on all the details yet." He said. "The only one who knows everything that happened is Colonel Mustang."

That was all Al needed to hear. Seconds later he was up on his feet and heading towards the door. "I'm going to talk to Colonel Mustang right now." His voice sounded angry, as angry as little mild mannered Alphonse could manage.

"Alphonse!" Havoc called out to stop him, Al complied. "Will you just please...give him a minute? Everything just happened a little while ago and Mustang seems very...affected by it."

Alphonse had his hand on the doorknob. After hearing what Havoc had to say, he released it, albeit unhappily.

"Just let him be alone with Hawkeye for a few minutes before you barge in there demanding answers." Jean went on. He knew the kid was worried sick for his older brother, and he of course had every right to be, but right now this was bigger than him, and Mustang needed time to come to grips with it.

Alphonse just let out a small growl and kicked the still closed door. He just felt so angry. "Why didn't I just stay in his room with him last night!?" He yelled in his hollow voice. "Maybe I could have helped him! Maybe I could have calmed him down!"

Havoc blew smoke from his mouth and then put out his cigarette in the ash tray next to him. "Look here, Al," He said. "you were just doing what you could to help him. You stayed with him in that room for a long time. You just wanted to know the whole story, just like you want to do now. No one can blame you for that. You brothers love one another more than anyone I have ever seen. Sometimes we make mistakes when the people we love are in trouble." He told him. "Colonel Mustang cares about both you and Fullmetal. Right now, he's letting the guilt of Ed saving his life eat away at him. Like you, he feels like all of this is his fault—just like you. But it isn't. Whoever Greed is working for is the guilty one here—no one else."

Alphonse nodded in agreement. Havoc had a point. "You're right." He said. "Wow, Havoc, I never knew you had such an intellectual side to you." He said, letting out a chuckle.

Havoc felt his eyebrow twitch in embarrassment. "Hey! I'll have you know I'm _very_ smart, handsome and clever!" He bragged with a smile, then his face fell back serious for a moment. "And so is Mustang." He said. "We _will_ find your brother and bring him back home. Safe and sound."

"Yeah!" Al answered happily. "Brother will be back here before we know it and we can go back to trying to get our bodies back! I'm not doing it alone!"

Havoc smiled and nodded. "Couldn't of said it better myself, kid."

XXXX

Greed entered his dark and dingy cave headquarters. Sure it was covered all over in dirt and rock, but it wasn't found easily. Secrecy took precedent over luxury. After all, they haven't been located yet, and he intended for it to stay that way.

Fullmetal was draped over his shoulder, and once Greed made it to the middle of the room, he tossed the kid down to the floor.

Edward groaned as he made contact with the hard ground. His wounds weren't fully healed yet and this made them hurt all the more. He coughed because he felt breathless. Where even was he? Who was with him?

Edward struggled to get to his feet. His continuous migraine was still lingering. He was getting so damn sick of these headaches! They never went away. The least they would do is dull for a little while, then the pain would come back harder than it was before. Sometimes it felt like his brain was on fire and his vision would even blur. Why couldn't all of this just stop already!?

Edward fell back to his knees and put his hands on his head again, pressing his forehead against the cool concrete of the floor.

Greed rolled his eyes. "I've already told you, kid. There more you try and fight it, the worse it's going to hurt." He bent down to one knee next to Edward. "Now stop being so damn stubborn and just give up already."

Edward let out a shaky breath. "No...I won't." He protested, looking over to Greed. "As long as I'm alive, I'll fight this for every second." His face was red from holding back the urge to scream.

Greed sighed and stood back up. "Then that's going to be a problem." He said. "I didn't want to resort to these kind of tactics to get you to break, but it seems like you're leaving me with no other choice." Greed lifted one of his hands and made a twirling motion.

Edward was flipped onto his back and felt his arms and legs being pinned to the ground. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't move an inch. Was this one of the moves he used on Mustang in the cave fight? When did he get a power like this?

In horror, Edward watched as Greed began to draw a transmutation circle around his body. "What the hell are you doing!?" He yelled.

Greed continued to draw with the white chalk he held in his fingers. "This is me getting results, my man. I tried to be patient, but I'm getting sick and tired of waiting." Once the circle was complete, Greed tossed the chalk away and looked down to Edward. "This is the last chance I'm giving you to give into this willingly." He warned him.

Edward scoffed and shook his head. "Go to hell." He snapped back. Sure, deep down Ed was feeling terrified, but he refused to show it. And he damn sure wasn't going to give in to this psychopath.

Greed let out a loud laugh. "Oh man, you haven't changed at all! About ready to piss your pants and still talking tough! I've gotta say, I'm impresses. You sure have guts." Greed reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "But enough is enough."

A Philosopher's Stone.

Greed placed the stone on Edward's chest. Edward was fighting to move, shaking his head around wildly.

"No! Don't! Get that away from me you bastard!" He cried, desperately trying to break free but to no avail.

Greed shook his head and stepped out of the circle, preparing to place his hands on the ground. "I'm sorry, kid. I tried to warn you."

Finally, Greed slammed his hands on the floor. Red electricity began to crackle around in the circle, and in the stone on Ed's chest. The shock waves surged through Ed's body. The pain was worse than anything he had experienced in his life. Worse than when he lost his arm and leg, worse than his automail surgery. He screamed louder than he even thought he was capable of.

 _Please just let me die._ He thought.

The pain was excruciating, but what hurt even worse was he knew that this was going to lead him to want to kill Colonel Mustang again. But the longer the pain lasted, the more the though of killing the Colonel came to him, as much as he tried to push it back.

Would killing Mustang be such a bad thing? All he was was an old, arrogant, Colonel bastard who thought he was better than everyone else. And he made Edward's life a living hell, always telling him to do and acting superior while doing it. He thought he knew everything when he really didn't know anything at all. Mustang was the reason he was here right now! Mustang should be the one feeling all this pain! Why did he even decide to take that bullet for the bastard anyways!? Mustang must have tricked him into it! He also used his stupid flame alchemy to burn his FUCKING ARM! MUSTANG HAD TO DIE! MUSTANG WAS _GOING_ TO DIE!

It seemed that as soon as Edward had this epiphany, the pain melted away. Suddenly he wasn't pinned on the ground anymore and his migraine was finally gone. But the pain was replaced with the urge to hurt something—someone.

Greed stood back up and dusted his hands off happily. Looking to Edward he saw his eyes were glowing a fierce red and he had a crazed look on his face. Every last shred of humanity had faded away. He reminded Greed of what he himself was—a homonculous.

Greed grinned at the kid. "Guess I don't have to ask if it worked." He said.

Edward let out an eerie chuckle and transmuted his automail arm into a blade. He leaped toward Greed, pointing his blade at him. Greed narrowly managed to grab Ed's arm and make him pass his face—just barely.

"Okay, maybe I overdid it a little." Greed laughed. The kid had gotten even more feisty!

Edward pulled back his arm and thrust it again at Greed's face. This time it collided with it's target, but Greed was able to use his ability to harden his skin. Edward's blade skidded across Greed's face, generating a few sparks.

"You're starting to piss me off a little, kid." Greed said angrily.

Edward pulled his arm back once more and aimed for Greed's eye. Before he was able to gouge his eye out, Ed took a step backward and broke out in a fit of loud laughter.

"Wow, Greed. You're easier than I thought!" Ed grinned. His voice was back to being it's slightly deepened register. He clapped his hands together and turned his automail back to normal.

Was the kid just fucking with him!?

"What the hell?" Greed asked. He was so confused. A second ago, the kid was lunging at him like he wanted him dead like Mustang, now he was laughing and teasing him? It wasn't easy to get one over on Greed, but the kid managed to pull if off.

Edward gave Greed a condescending look. "Consider that payback for zapping me like that." He said, hopping up to sit on the table that was behind him. "You should know better than anyone the only one I'm out for is Mustang."

Greed couldn't help but laugh. "You tricky son of a bitch."

"We're going to rain Hellfire down on Central." Edward said, the true evil now showing more in his face. "And Mustang is going to be the first one to fall."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Death Wish**

 **A/N: Another long one for you guys. Please R &R and I'll see you all next time!**

Roy was sat at his desk in his office. He had to fill out more reports about recent events with Fullmetal. But to be honest, he didn't really have any idea what the words on the page before him said, and at the moment, he didn't care. He rested his head in one of his hands, looking defeated. Not only did he let Edward be hurt by Greed once, he'd let the man take Edward away. He felt like a pure and utter failure. How could he let the kid be taken by the man that shot him? To top it all off, he had broken two of his ribs again due to his fiery freakout in the cell.

Riza hadn't left his side since the incident. Roy was being eaten alive by this and the last thing he needed right now was to be alone. She just looked at him sadly. She didn't know what to say. Nothing she said would bring Edward back. The silence was cold and foreboding.

"What am I going to do, lieutenant?" Roy asked her suddenly. It was a rhetorical question really. He didn't expect her to answer.

Riza just looked at him firmly with confidence. "We find Edward and we bring him home. We're going to get him back to normal, sir." When he didn't say anything back she pressed on. "You know, you really should be back in the infirmary. You still aren't fully recovered."

Roy just rifled through his papers, not even looking at her. "My ribs are broken, lieutenant. They'll still be broken even if I'm here." Riza just nodded and decided to keep her mouth shut. There was a long silence before Roy spoke again. "I'm his commanding officer...and I let this happen to him. How can I expect to become Fuhrer if I can't even keep my own men safe? I mean...first it was Maes and now Fullmetal." He said, burying his head in his hands. His voice started to break. "I can't stand it."

Riza knew that Maes Hughes' death still killed Roy. Maes was his best friend and she didn't think he would survive it when he was murdered. Maes was like the brother Roy never had, and Fullmetal was like the son he never had. She couldn't blame him for being so upset. Edward being taken gnawed at him.

"And Alphonse..." Roy continued. "He's never going to forgive me for this."

Riza took a step forward. "Sir, I-"

"He's only fifteen, lieutenant!" Roy screamed at her, slamming his hands down on the desk. He wasn't really trying to yell at her, just _to_ her. He was rapidly approaching the end of his rope.

"He may only be fifteen, sir..." Riza said. "But Edward is a strong kid. He's endured far more than this."

"That stone is possessing him, and there's a good chance he's going to stay like that forever." Roy told her.

Riza's eyes narrowed. "Where did you hear that?" She asked.

"Greed." He answered. "And he's also the one who shot Fullmetal in the first place."

Riza nodded. "I figured as much. I read your first report and it mentioned something about the homonculous, Greed." She said. "He shared a body with that boy Ling, right? Was there any sign that he could be in there somewhere?"

Roy shook his head. "No." He replied. "And to top it all off it seems like the guy has a whole new arsenal of powers at his disposal. Even more than what we've seen, I'm sure."

Riza took a moment to think. "Well, he used a Philosopher's Stone on Edward to make him more powerful, don't you think he would have done the same thing to himself?"

Hawkeye had a point. Aside from the regeneration that all the homonculi had, the only other power Greed showed was being able to harden his skin to block attacks. Only something like a stone would be able to infuse him with powers like that. If he were willing to use a stone on Fullmetal, it stood to reason that he would use one on himself as well.

Roy sat back in his chair, looking off into space. "He was in so much pain, Hawkeye." He told her sadly.

"He'll beat this." Riza said.

"Right now...it's beating _him_." Roy replied. "What if he really does stay this way?" He asked. The very thought made him shudder and he put his hands back on his face.

Riza walked closer to him and crouched down to look him in the face. "That isn't going to happen. I promise." She said, placing her hand on his.

"Don't make promises you can't keep, lieutenant." He told her.

Riza looked him square in the eyes. "I don't." She said. It was the same words that Maes had said to Roy back in the Ishvalan war. Back when Roy wanted to give up, just like he was now.

Roy smiled warmly at her. "How do you always know what to say?" He asked her.

Riza smiled back. "Because my Colonel taught me never to give up, even when things seem hopeless. It isn't over until it's over." She said. "You and Edward can get through anything."

"I've only made it this far because you were by my side." Roy said in a soft voice.

"I'm just doing my job, sir." She said back.

Roy and Riza looked into one another's eyes for a moment. Riza took her hand and gently brushed Roy's bangs from his eyes. He took the hand that was in his hair and held it, nuzzling it again his cheek a little. The two had their heads grow closer, and Roy placed a hand on Riza's face.

Just before their lips could make contact, Roy felt a sharp prick in his shoulder and pulled back. Riza backed up herself and saw that a small dart had been shot into Roy's right shoulder. She pulled it out and examined it closely.

"What the hell is that?" Roy asked, putting his hand where the dart was pulled.

Riza shook her head. "I'm not sure. I'll have to-" She began, but was distracted when she head Roy breathing heavily. His face had fallen pale very quickly. "Colonel, are you..."

For a brief moment, Roy looked scared. "Lieutenant...!" He said breathlessly. "That dart...was poisoned." He grabbed onto Riza's shirt.

Riza gasped and placed two fingers against his neck. His pulse was out of control. She felt him beginning to tremble in her arms. She felt panic slowly enter her body. She grabbed the phone on Roy's desk and dialed a few numbers fast.

"I need a doctor in Colonel Roy Mustang's office right now!" She yelled into the phone. "We have reason to believe he's been poisoned." She hung the phone up as soon as she said her piece.

She took the Colonel's face in her hands. "Sir? Sir, can you hear me?" She asked him, trying to sound as calm as she could, which right now, wasn't calm at all. The Colonel was in her arms wracked in agony.

What the hell was in that dart!?

Riza looked up to the window to see Edward there. He was dangling next to the window with what looked like a gun in his hands. He looked very pleased with himself.

Edward let out an evil laugh. "Don't worry there, Ms. Hawkeye. That dart isn't going to kill him, but it'll sure as hell make him _wish_ he were dead!" He taunted to her. "Guess I got to torture him after all."

Riza growled in frustration and pulled at her gun, aiming it at the teen. But he swung out of her range and out of sight.

"Edward!" She yelled after him. But he had escaped. "Goddammit!" She cursed, lowering her weapon and focusing once more on Roy.

Seconds later, the doctor came bursting through the doors. He took out his stethoscope and placed it against Roy's chest.

"He's burning up and his heart rate is out of control." The doctor said, even he sounded worried. "What the hell happened?"

Riza looked down at the dart that was still clutched in her hand. She handed it to the doctor quickly. "Someone shot him with this." She told him. She then looked back to Roy who was still struggling. She brushed his forehead with her hand. "God, he's on fire." The doctor was right, he had a high fever and it wasn't showing signs of dropping.

Hastily, Riza looked to the doctor. "Isn't there anything you can do for him? He's in agony here!" She cried.

The doctor looked from the dart, then to Roy and back to Riza. "Not until I know what it is that he's been injected with. I can't risk giving him any sort of antidote until I know for sure it won't react negatively with the venom." He explained.

The doctor was right as much as Riza didn't want to admit it. If they rushed into this, they could risk giving Roy something that would mix with whatever poison this was and it could kill him. As far as she knew, that was what Edward wanted.

"Then go figure it out!" Riza yelled at the doctor with an enraged look.

The doctor nodded and took the dart out of the room, while his paramedics prepped Roy onto a stretcher.

"Lieutenant..." Roy said weakly. He tried to look at Riza but he found it damn near impossible to move his head. He couldn't even confirm where he was in that moment.

Riza snapped to his attention. "I'm right here, Colonel." She assured him.

Roy squeezed her hand tight. "Please...don't hurt him."

Riza sighed and looked away from him. Roy wasn't stupid, he was well aware that Fullmetal was the one that had done this to him. She hesitated. She wasn't sure she could keep that promise.

"No one is going to hurt Edward, okay?" Riza said sweetly back to him. She ached when she saw the paramedics haul him up onto the stretcher.

Roy grabbed Riza's hand before they wheeled him off. "Promise me." he said.

Riza felt stuck. Whereas she would never kill Edward, she couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't hurt him. Because she would if it meant keeping the Colonel safe. That was her job, and nothing, not even Fullmetal would interfere with that. But, on the other hand, she had her orders, and the last thing she wanted to do was upset Roy right now.

Roy noticed her silence. "Hawkeye... _please_." he said again.

Riza nodded before any words surfaced. "I promise, sir." She said. "Now I need you to promise _me_ something." She began.

Roy's eyes narrowed slightly. "Like what?" He asked. He noticed that she seemed upset and was shaken a little bit. "Lieutenant?"

"You have to promise me you'll make it through this." She finally said. "Promise me you won't die, Colonel." She said sadly. She would be nothing if Roy died. She would be a failure.

Even through all his pain, Roy managed to smile at her. Riza was so sweet to be worried for him. No lieutenant was more loyal and reliable than her. He was a damn lucky man.

"You can't kill me _that_ easily." He told her, taking her hand in his again.

Riza got her composure back and cleared her throat. "I'm going to hold you to that." She said. "And if you let me down, I'll shoot you." She joked.

Roy chuckled a little. "Yeah, I know." He said.

With that, the paramedics wheeled Roy away. The whole time, Riza was only a few steps behind.

XXXX

Edward was so happy. He'd managed to poison that bastard Colonel and make him suffer for a while. Roy Mustang didn't deserve a quick and painless death. This was only the first phase of his plan. He was going to make that prick pay for everything he had put him through. Edward was leaping from rooftop to rooftop for his escape. All was well and good until he felt his mind zap.

Another headache?

That couldn't be possible. It had to be just a fluke, right? Greed had pumped him full with not one, but two Philosopher's Stones. He hated Colonel Mustang and all of Central. He wanted to make them pay!

...Right?

A memory filled Edward's head. He tried to stop it, but it came full force. He was laying sick in a bed, with Mustang at his side. Watching over him and keeping him safe. He also remembered that he was calling out to the Colonel and begging him not to leave. Then Roy getting into the bed with him when he was freezing to death. He was so kind, so...gentle. Almost like...like a father.

Edward froze and put a hand over his face. His head was splitting just as it had before. "What...is this?" He said aloud.

A memory flashed in his mind of him grabbing onto Mustang's pant leg and him calling the man 'dad'.

"No...No!" Edward cried. These memories had to be a lie! He didn't give a damn about that Colonel bastard! And he sure as hell didn't think of him like his father!

All of these memories and the pain in his head was too much. He couldn't think straight. He began to stagger backwards off of the roof. Edward didn't even realize he was falling until he felt someone grab his hand and catch him.

Edward sighed, looking down to what was almost his concrete fate. "Damn, Greed, you sure timed that one, didn't you?"

But when Edward looked up, he didn't see Greed. Above him was a giant suit of armor, clinging to his hand.

"I'm afraid not, Brother." Alphonse said, pulling Edward up to the safety of the top of the roof.

Edward wasn't about to thank him, so he remained silent. He dusted himself off and peered off the roof to the cityscape in front of him. The air was so damn cold.

"You sure seemed distracted there for a minute." Alphonse said, staying behind Edward. He didn't want his brother to run away. After all, this was the longest he had spent with him in days.

Edward wiped his nose and stood back on the ledge of the roof. "That isn't any of your business." He prepared to jump off the roof to continue his escape.

"So that's it!? You're just working for the bad guys now!?" Al cried out to him.

Although he kept his back to Al, Edward stopped. "I don't work for anyone but myself." Ed said back.

"Oh really?" Alphonse replied in annoyance. "Don't you find it the slightest bit odd that you had no desire to kill Colonel Mustang until Greed shot you with that Philosopher's Stone?"

Edward felt his eyes grow wider. He placed a hand to where Greed had shot him with the stone.

Was Al getting through to him?

"You need to wake up, Brother!" Alphonse cried. "Greed and whoever he's working for is just using you to kill Colonel Mustang because if you do, you'll be sentenced to death for it! That way he can get rid of both you and the Colonel!"

Edward gasped out loud. He couldn't help it. Was Alphonse right? Did he really not have any intention of killing Mustang before all this came to pass? Was he just being used to do the dirty work, only for him to be killed at the end of it anyway? All of the confusion made his head pang. He whimpered and collapsed to one knee.

"Brother!" Alphonse called out, running to Edward. He put his hand on Ed's shoulder, but he just pushed it away.

Edward shook his head with tightly closed eyes. "Stop it! Please..."

Alphonse shook his head and put his hand back on Ed's shoulder. "No, Brother. Not until you see the light and come back to us." Alphonse took Edward in his arms and hugged him tight. Edward bucked and thrashed in defiance for a little while, before he finally calmed and slowed down. "Come on, Ed! You have to remember all the people that love you! We all miss you and want the old you back!" he cried.

Alphonse felt his brother struggle in his arms again. This time, not to break free, but as if he was in pain. "Are you okay, Brother?" Al asked.

Edward tried to calm himself and his hard breathing. "A-Al?" He said in a strained voice, his eyes falling back to their pretty golden color.

Alphonse nodded happily. "Yes! Yes, Brother it's me!" He yelled hopefully.

Edward looked to his brother's armored face. "Alphonse...listen to me." He said, sounding back to his old self. "There's only one way...to free me from this."

"Wh-what!?" Al said worriedly. "What do you mean?"

Edward gripped his head at his temples, his head was splitting. He couldn't focus on what he was trying to tell Al. It was important, but he was starting to slip away again. He bit back a scream.

"Y-you...have t-to..." Edward began, but the scream he was holding back escaped, and his eyes began to glow the dark crimson color again. He ripped himself out of Al's arms. "Nice try there, Tin Man." He said with an evil smirk, his darker voice returning. "I'm not falling for your antics anymore."

Alphonse whimpered in sadness. "No, Brother! Please come back!"

Edward grinned at his brother. "I'm not the one you should be concerned with right now." he said. "That bastard Colonel of yours is in a pretty bad way right now." Edward laughed again and waved. "Bye, 'bro'." He said, quickly leaping off of the rooftop and out of sight.

Alphonse felt distraught. His brother was gone yet again. It was then that Edward's words seemed to hit him.

"Colonel Mustang!" Alphonse said with a gasp. Then he quickly ran to his Colonel to see if there was anything he could do to help.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Reunion**

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is late. It's far later than I had intended it to be. Work is hectic and then I got sick. But I'm back at it! Another chapter will be up this coming weekend. Hopefully sooner if I can manage it. Love you all and please enjoy!~~~**

Riza gently stroked the back of Colonel Mustang as he vomited into a pail at his hospital bedside. The poison he was pumped with made him feel like he was dying, or at least wishing he was dead. Once he was finished retching, he lay back on his pillow. Riza took a cool wash cloth and dabbed his sweaty forehead with it, occasionally patting it on his cheeks as well. Riza hadn't left his side. Not even for a second.

What the hell were those damn doctors doing!?

Why didn't her superior have an antidote yet? Why was he still suffering like this? Pain was wracking his body with very second, and he was in constant strain. In that moment, she didn't believe Edward when he claimed that the venom wasn't lethal. The Colonel had never seemed this close to death before. Not even in Ishval. It shook her to her core. And why should she believe Fullmetal anyway? She couldn't trust him when he was pumped full of a Philosopher's Stone like this. Just what more was capable of now?

Riza knelt closer to Roy and put her hands on his arm and shoulder. "Just hang on, sir." She said, fighting to try and sound confident. "They'll be here with the antidote any minute. You just have to hold out a little longer, okay?"

She then felt Roy take her hand and squeeze it tight.

"Hawkeye..." He said weakly, struggling to look her in the eyes. His vision was swimming in blurs. "Listen to me."

Riza nodded quickly. "Anything, sir. What do you need?" He heart was breaking into a million pieces.

Mustang had to pause and take a few deep breaths before he spoke again. Just saying a few words made him as winded as if he had just ran a mile. But Riza was always patient when it came to the Colonel, so she just waited for him to catch his breath and finish his thought.

"I want you to...find Fullmetal...and bring him home...for me." He said slowly and breathlessly.

Riza fell silent for a few beats. She looked away from the Colonel's gaze. She had no idea what to say or do right now. To be honest, she didn't even know if Fullmetal _could_ be saved. The kid was clearly failing every time he fought this other side of himself, and it just seemed to be happening more and more frequently now. Had Greed really have been telling the truth when he said that Edward would be this way forever?

Riza, however, was never one to give up before she even tried. Somehow, she was going to find a way to bring Edward back and get him back to normal, and help the Colonel get healthy again.

Riza looked back to Roy and nodded. "I won't stop until I get him back...I promise." She said, warranting a small, frail smile from Roy.

"And neither will I." A hollow voice echoed from the doorway.

Riza and Roy turned their gaze to the door and there stood Alphonse.

Roy nodded very slightly. "I know." He said, "I believe in you both."

Riza pushed the Colonel's sweat matted hair off of his brow once more and stood up. Before she went to do what Roy needed, she felt herself hesitate for a moment.

"But sir..." She said with uncertainty in her voice. "I can't just leave you here alone when you're ill like this."

Roy winced and swallowed hard, just the small act of speaking taking a great deal of effort on his part. "Lieutenant...there's nothing you can do for me...not until...they find the antidote." As his worded ceased he felt a hard surge of pain throughout his body again. Arching his back, his head hit the pillow hard and he screamed. Given that he tried to hold the scream back, it still was loud enough to concern his team.

"Colonel!" Both Riza and Alphonse yelled in unison at the sudden cry.

Roy was fighting against the pain as best he could, but he felt himself losing. He composed himself long enough to get out his next sentence. "Please...just go." He pleaded. "Go and...bring Fullmetal home safe."

Riza and Alphonse looked at one another with saddened eyes and nodded.

If this was what the Colonel wanted—then so be it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"How'd it go?" Greed asked Edward as he sauntered back into their underground lair. The kid definitely seemed to have a spring in his step.

Edward just let out a twisted looking grin. "It went flawlessly of course, what else did you expect? The old man went down like a sack of hammers." he chortled. "It was pretty damn funny." He continued, sitting on top of one of the tables in the room. It was odd, but the kid seemed to be forcing his glee a little too hard.

Truth be told, Edward was still reeling from his talk with the suit of armor on the rooftops a little while prior. The kid had really gotten into his head, even more than Edward realized he had. Thinking of all this made his head hurt again. Too much was happening too fast, he couldn't decipher who he could and couldn't trust anymore. The pain made him wince so he turned away from Greed to steady himself.

"Did he now?" Greed asked, sounding suspicious. "What about you, kid? Are _you_ alright?" He asked, walking closer to Ed, examining him closely.

Edward let out an angry grunt and turned back to Greed. "I'm fine!" He said firmly.

Greed have a condescending smile. "Really? Because I don't think ya are." He stated. "You're looking a little green around the gills, kid. What, did your little talk with the Tin Man on the roof shake things up for you a little bit?"

Edward felt his chest tighten and his eyes grow wide. "What? How do you-" He began but Greed cut him off.

"Oh, come on now, Edward. You didn't think we would be watching you like a hawk?" He said with a shameful voice. "I thought you were a lot smarter than that." He said, tapping the side of his head.

Edward scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I don't exactly see what the problem is here, Greed. I shot the damn Colonel like you told me to."

Greed nodded slowly. "Yes, but you didn't use the fatal stuff. All you did was just make him suffer until someone swoops in and saves him." Greed crossed his arms. "There's still some of the old you left inside, isn't there?" It wasn't really a question. He stated it as more of a fact.

Edward shook his head rapidly in panic from side to side. "No! I hate that fucking Colonel! I want him dead! I want him to die screaming!" He yelled.

Greed gave Edward a scary look, square in the eyes. "Just who are you trying to convince here, Fullmetal? You or me?" He asked.

Edward couldn't contain his rage anymore. He hopped off of the table and transmuted his automail back into a blade. He darted toward the Homonculus and swiped over and over again trying to stab this creature. He wasn't messing around anymore, he went straight for the heart. However, Greed still had his ability to harden his skin like stone, rendering Ed's automail utterly useless.

Greed still stood tall. He didn't even flinch at the kid's strikes. "Enough already, kid. You're just embarrassing yourself."

Edward's head was pounding at this point and his blows were becoming slower and more sloppy. He clenched at his head with his flesh hand, and continued to stab with his right.

Greed let out a long yawn. "Well, this is getting stale." He griped in a bored voice. He twirled his hand around once and this was enough to get Fullmetal pinned to the ground, unable to move once again. "You seem to keep forgetting, I'm not the target, Fullmetal." He said with more anger in his voice now. Pulling chalk from his coat, he started to draw a circle around the boy for the third time.

"Please don't!" Edward cried out in sheer terror. He'd give anything to not have to experience that pain anymore.

Greed was silent as he drew, just letting Fullmetal's pleas fill the open air.

Greed let out an emotionless sigh. "Sorry, little one. But the boss needs his results and you're starting to become a liability."

Edward just tightly closed his eyes and braced himself for the torture he was going to yet again feel. Why was he here? Why was he enduring all of this? Alphonse had saved his life when he started to fall off of that building, not to mention he felt that the kid really cared about him. Edward was finally starting to wake up—really wake up.

Edward loved Alphonse, he loved Hawkeye and Havoc, he even loved that bastard Colonel. He never wanted any of them hurt or dead! In fact, he'd give his life a million times over to save theirs! He had to break out of here! He had to get back to Central! Everyone was waiting for him! He wouldn't fail them again!

But try as he may, he just couldn't get his body unpinned from Greed's alchemy. He fought the urge to throw up when he felt Greed place yet another stone on his chest.

Greed stood from placing the stone on Edward. "Only one more after this one, so let's make sure this one takes, yeah?"

Edward whimpered and closed his eyes. Then he heard the clap, the electricity, and the pain started again. He felt as if he were on fire as the red bolts of power danced around his small body. This time was definitely the worst one of all. He felt the goodness in him melting away, replaced with nothing but anger and malice, this time only increased ten-fold.

Edward's screamed sounded throughout the dark cave, echoing over and over again. It was taking so much longer this time too. Giving him nowhere near as much of a chance to fight it off as he did before. At that exact moment, he wanted his father. He wanted his father to make the pain stop, to take him in his arms and assure him that everything would be okay. That he was safe. He saw all of this so clearly in his mind, and much to even his surprise, the father in these flashes wasn't Hohenheim...it was Roy Mustang.

He wanted Roy to be the one to save him, to be the one to hug him and keep him safe. He wanted his father, his _true_ father.

But Mustang couldn't come to his rescue, because he had poisoned him. He had caused that man more suffering. Again! He didn't deserve to have a father like that! Hohenheim was the dad he deserved.

"I don't..." Edward began in cries, "I don't want to hurt the Colonel! I don't want to kill Mustang!" He screamed. "Please, stop all this, Greed! You're our friend! Remember the alliance we shared together! _PLEASE REMEMBER, LING!_ "

Upon hearing this, Greed brought his hands away from the floor. The transmutation and the electricity screeched to a halt. Edward felt his body release from is strain and coughed as he fought to get breath back in his lungs.

Greed sat back on his heels. He looked completely confused—like he had no idea where he was or what he was doing. His eyes eventually made it to Edward and he looked mortified. He crawled quickly over to the boy with concern lacing his face.

"Fullmetal?" Greed asked, looking the boy over and looking at the stone on his chest. He ripped it off of Edward and shattered it on the hard ground beneath him. "Oh my God, are you okay, kid?"

Edward smiled in relief, although short of breath. "Yes, Greed." He said. "Thanks for saving me team leader." He said, referring to their alliance in the past. They had all agreed that, if they wanted to have Greed in their corner, he had to be the one to lead them.

"Yeah...n-no problem..." He said, is words sounding unsure. "But how did I-" Greed began, only to shout out in pain and grab his head.

Seeing this, Edward shot up and placed a hand on Greed's shoulder. "Greed, what's the matter? You have a headache, don't you?" He asked.

Ed knew it was a stupid question, because Greed was reacting the same way that he would when one of his migraines reared it's ugly head. It was then that everything started to make sense to Edward. Greed was always cocky and selfish, but he had formed a strong enough bond with himself and Ling over the last few years that he wouldn't just turn on everyone on a whim because some money was in it for him. Another thing was that, Greed always had red eyes, but they didn't usually glow like they were since they had met up again.

Glowing exactly like Ed's eyes would.

"Greed," Edward began carefully, "what's the last thing you remember before this moment?"

Greed struggled to remember exactly what the answer to that question was. "Ling and I...we decided to get away from it all. Get away from all the fighting and...live the good life on the seaside. But...somewhere along the way we were...attacked, I think."

Edward nodded along. "Now, do you remember if you were shot by any sort weird bullet?" He asked.

Greed tightly closed his eyes, trying to think. "Y-yes..." He said, another spasm squirming in his head. God, that made it so much harder to focus! "We were...ambushed." Ling's voice suddenly spoke out.

Edward couldn't believe it. "Ling!? Is it really you?"

"Edward..." Ling started in a serious voice. "I don't have a lot of time to speak with you right now but, please, don't blame Greed for all of this. What happened to you, Ed, what Greed did to you...the same thing was done to us too. We weren't acting of our own free will." He explained. "The Philosopher's Stone changed us, just as it changed you."

Edward ran a hand over his face. "Yes, I understand. But do you know if there's any way to _reverse_ it?" Edward wanted so much to delve more into this, but, as Ling had told him, he didn't have a whole lot of time, he could change back to the evil Greed at any given moment.

Ling winced and shook his head in defeat. "I don't...I'm sorry." he said.

Edward fought to make his voice sound more relaxed and in control. "No, it's okay. We can figure this all out."

Ling nodded weakly. "Right." He said. "I have to let Greed come back for now, he can handle all of this better than I, and you two need all the help you can get right now."

Edward knew that Ling was right. Ling was never an extreme fighter, he tended to be more on the relaxed side, whereas Greed was aggressive and got the job done. "Hopefully I get to see you again, Ling. As you." He said.

"If you're you too." Ling replied. And with that, the two bumped fists together playfully. Ling the softly closed his eyes and when they reopened again, they were back to Greed's red ones.

"Goddammit my head!" Greed yelled out.

"Just try and fight it, Greed and stay in control. Stay in control." Edward told him again and again. Right now, Greed was their best hope of getting out of this mess and he had to pull it together like Edward knew he could.

Greed chuckled weakly and slowly stood. "I'm trying my damnedest to fight it, kid." After taking a second to get his bearings, he went on. "So Ling and I were shot with one of those freaking Philosopher bullets too, huh?"

Edward nodded at him sadly. "Who are you working for, Greed? Who did this to us?" He asked. "If you tell me then we can work together to take him down."

Greed remained silent, looking conflicted.

Ed's eyes narrowed. "What it is?"

Greed swallowed hard before he opened his mouth again. These next words were going to be the hardest for him to speak. "My boss...you kinda already know him." he admitted.

"I know him?" Ed repeated, fighting the catch in his throat. What the hell was Greed talking about? The next thing he felt was Greed taking him firmly by the shoulders.

"Kid, listen to me, get the hell out of here." Greed said hastily. Hearing the fear and worry in Greed's voice made Edward very nervous. Not once had he ever heard him sound that way.

"What!?" Edward cried in protest. "No way am I leaving here without you!"

Greed grunted in aggravation. "Please kid, just trust me and go!" He shouted, pushing Edward away from him. "I've been under the stone's influence for a hell of a lot longer than you have. Fighting it will suppress it briefly, but it's just a temporary measure." He admitted. Greed then sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Just let me be the hero for once, okay?"

Ed was at a loss for words. Greed and Ling were two of his closest friends. He didn't want anything to happen to them, despite what that stupid stone made them do. He wasn't ready to throw in the towel on the two of them just yet.

"Greed, I-"

 _BANG!_

Just like that, a gun shot was fired, and the smell of smoke perforated the air.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Not So Greedy**

The gunshot rang out loud in the small cave. The echo that followed seem to make it even louder. As a reflex, Edward had thrown his hands up to cover his ears and closed his eyes. Once he had his senses back, Edward could hear Greed crying out, blood was streaking his hands over the wound on his chest.

"Greed..." Edward said in a barely audible voice. He couldn't believe this. There was no way that he himself shot Greed. Which only meant that someone else was in there with them, and he'd most likely have to fight whoever this person was.

Greed staggered backwards and his back collided with a wall behind him. He leaned against it as he slid down the cool rock into a sitting position. Edward was at his side before he even made contact with the ground.

How could he have been so stupid? He was gabbing with the kid for so long that he let his guard down. He could have easily stopped the bullet with his hardening skin, but he hadn't been paying enough attention. And he couldn't even heal himself with regeneration either. Once he had merged with Ling, that was one of the powers he no longer had. The human side of him could sustain injury—that's why his armor was so important.

But here he lay, bloodied and weak—the world growing darker the longer the time ticked by.

"Greed! Stay calm!" Edward cried, completely ignoring his own advice. "If I get the stone out before it dissolves you should be able to make it!"

Greed chuckled which made him cough up some blood. "Take a closer look, kid. That isn't a Philosopher's Stone bullet. Just a regular round."

"Very good, Greed." An older and more sinister voice called from the distance. Emerging from the darkness, this man's face was finally revealed to Edward, and he was wielding a gun. "And here I thought I never taught you anything. Maybe you're not as ignorant as I first thought."

Edward felt the rage in his body rising, not from the stone this time, but of just pure fury. "Fuhrer Bradley!?" He cried, his eyes as wide as he ever remembered.

Edward was spot on. Before him and Greed was none other than Fuhrer King Bradley. The leader of Central, hell, the leader of Amestris. The one everyone in the military looked up to and respect, everyone including Colonel Mustang. Bradley had played them all for fools.

And they fell for every bit of it—hook, line and sinker.

Bradley grinned at the rage in Fullmetal's eyes. Holstering his weapon, he walked a few more steps forward. "I'm disappointed in you, Greed my son. You were doing so well before you let this child get in your head. I'm afraid it seems like it's destiny for me to kill you yet again."

Edward was shaking. He let out a loud roar and transmuted his automail into a blade, this time making it far sharper than he ever had before. If he had been thinking clearly, he would make sure none of his attacks were kill shots, but he wasn't thinking rationally. Consequences, equivalent exchange be damned. He wasn't going to stop until this man was dead.

"You bastard!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. He didn't care where he cut this monster, so long as he cut hit. Made him bleed! Flying off the handle never seemed to do Edward any good in these situations, however.

Bradley let out an annoyed sigh. "I'm sorry, little boy, but I believe I was talking to my son!" He shouted, giving Edward a sharp kick to the chest.

The boy went flying through the air and hit the walls of the caves hard. Luckily, he just seemed a little dazed and he landed next to Greed. Fullmetal whimpered as he forced himself back onto his feet.

"...Kid..." Greed said as loud as he could, which at the moment was barely a whisper. He wanted to go and help Edward but his strength was fast leaving him. But, somewhere within, he managed to get back on his feet, although shakily. "Please...get out of here..." He continued.

Edward couldn't believe his eyes. "Greed? Wha-what're you-"

Greed inhaled a deep breath, steeling himself. "Don't worry, kid." He said. "I'm not out yet." After he gathered the strength, he turned his entire body into stone armor.

Bradley shook his head and laughed as he unsheathed his long sword. "Don't worry, son. You will be."

Even in his armored form, Greed didn't stand a chance against Bradley in this condition. Edward wasn't exactly at full power himself, but working together, they could do it. They could take this man down. Greed would just have to accept the fact:

Edward wasn't going anywhere.

Greed shook his head and couldn't help but smile, despite how off putting it looked to see him smile in that form. "Damn stubborn kid."

Edward smiled back. "Can't help it. I learned it from my team leader."

"One or two targets—it makes no difference." Bradley said coldly. The man wasn't dumb, he knew that both the kid and his son were on their last legs. This was going to be too easy. He unsheathed his second sword, now donning one in each hand. "I can take you both on."

Bradley darted at the pair and began swinging both swords so hard and fast at the both of them that even the air emitted from the blade stung.

"Watch the blade, shorty!" Greed called out to Ed. He had been cut enough times in his life by this sword and he didn't want the kid to experience it. Edward was handling himself well, but the blade grazed the kid's cheek. Greed scoffed. "What did I _just_ say!?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "Shut your yap! And I'm not short!" He retaliated.

"I'm growing tired of these games." Bradley mused.

"Good!" Greed answered. "Because so am I!" Greed then turned one of his arms into a thick hammer with his armor and brought it down hard, aiming to crush Bradley's skull.

Bradley let out an amused laugh. "Fool." He said simply. Bringing up the sword in his right hand and ran it through Greed's chest.

Right through the armor.

"Wh-what...?" Greed stammered, looking at the sword jutting through his chest. "How did you..."

"All of my children have a leash, Greed—and you are no exception." Bradley said coldly. Long ago he had reinforced his blades to be able to cut through anything, especially Greed's hard armor. With a hard yank he pulled the blade out of his son.

Greed let out a few pained gasps. His armor left his body and he crumpled to the floor. Bradley looked down to him and sighed.

"You had so much potential in you, my son. Until you bonded with that...human." Bradley said in disgust. With one last shake of his head he turned his back and left the room.

Edward couldn't catch his breath. He darted at this creature. "Get back here you son of a bitch!" He screeched. But Bradley transmuted the cave shut behind him so that Edward couldn't follow. He punched the new wall with his automail so hard that it made debris fall from the ceiling of the cave.

Once he got his composure back, he turned and made his way back to his friend, Greed.

Greed was barely moving and Edward felt tears welling in his eyes. "No, Greed..." He wept. "Please don't die. I don't want to lose anyone else in my life!" He cried.

Greed sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, kid. This is...kind of out of my hands." He said with ragged and labored breaths.

Edward grabbed his hair in hysterics. "Shit!"

Greed paused for a moment and just looked at the kid. "Those tears...are really for me, shorty?"

"What are you talking about?" Edward whimpered. "You're my friend. I don't want you to leave."

Greed couldn't believe it. Never in his life did he think someone would care about him so much as to cry at his demise. Bradley was his father, but he was far from loving. Love wasn't something Greed was even sure he could feel anymore—or if he even knew what caring for someone other than him self really meant. But if caring and love was what he was feeling right now then...

God, it felt fantastic.

"I know you want to save me, Fullmetal...but I'm fresh out of ideas." Greed told him sadly, not even able to tease him with some insult of a nickname.

"You can tell me what to do! We just have to think! Please, just tell me what to do!" Edward sobbed. Edward closed his eyes and just cried. He didn't have any idea what else to do. So he just wept.

"Hey..." Greed said kindly, tapping the kid on his leg to get his attention. "I really had fun with you guys...back when we conspired together. It felt...good to play the hero for a switch, you know? Wish I could have...done it more...often." Another deep cough left Greed's lungs and he spit blood from his mouth.

"You can!" Edward yelled. "I can help you do it! So and Al and Mustang! We can all be a team again!"

Greed shook his head. "Nah...it's too late for all of that now. " He said with a sharp wince. "If there really is an afterlife...or God...or Heaven...I sure hope I meet you there someday, Ed."

Edward just covered his eyes, crying harder now.

Greed chuckled a little. "It's funny. I always thought that my last words would be more...profound, you know?" Then Greed sighed. "Guess not."

The pain was less and less now. The room was growing brighter. A feeling of serenity enveloped Greed. "See ya around, kid...it was one hell of a ride...and I'm...sorry..."

With his apology, Greed's eyes fell closed and his body fell limp.

Edward peeked through his hands at Greed and found him unresponsive. He nudged Greed a little bit, but nothing happened. Edward let out a mourned scream. A scream so loud he through his voice box would tear.

There had to be something he could do.

Just then, a thought struck him. When Greed was planning on using a third stone on him, he ripped it from his chest and shattered it on the floor. But something Greed said stuck with him.

" _Only one more after this, so let's make sure this one takes, yeah?"_

Edward scanned the room to see if he could find the revolver Greed had used to shoot the stone bullets. It wasn't far from where he was, it was next to where Greed had knelt to start the transmutation earlier. Edward dashed for the firearm to see if it had another round in it like Greed had said. The gun only had six chambers, so it had to be in one of those!

The first five holes wielded nothing, and only one remained. If it wasn't in this chamber, everything was over. Edward closed his eyes and clicked the barrel over one more time. He slowly cracked his eyes open.

There it was—the last Philosopher Stone bullet.

He'd never been so happy to see one in all his life. He walked over to Greed and placed the stone on his unmoving chest and drew the circle around his body. Before Edward clapped his said out loud to anyone who would listen..."Please...let this work."

Ed clapped his hands as hard as he could and slammed them onto the ground. Edward could already feel his energy waning. Philosopher's Stone or not, this was still hard as hell on the user, but Ed couldn't care less right now.

"Come on, Greed! Come on, Ling!" He cried out. "This isn't enough to beat you! Just come back! Come back to the **LIGHT!** "

Soon after, the energy flickered and faded away.

Forcing himself to remain on his hands and knees, he crawled over to Greed, looking for any signs of life.

"Greed?" He asked cautiously. "Ling?"

When he didn't get a response from either one, Edward collapsed to the floor. "Oh God..." He sobbed loudly. " **GOD!** " He just punched the ground over and over again. Why the hell did he do any of this!? Why did he even try!? No matter what the people he cares about always die!

"You know...waking up to your wailing and screaming is a serious pain in the ass." A voice said to him from above.

Ed's head shot up so fast he thought it was going to fly off. "Greed?" He asked in disbelief. Was he dreaming? Was Greed a ghost?

"Yeah it me." He answered. "I'll tell ya, dying is a bitch but once you come back you feel better than ever."

Edward stood quickly and ran to hug his friend. "You mean you..."

Greed nodded before Ed could finish the sentence. "I feel back to my old self. I don't feel the stone holding over me anymore. I'm back to my perfect self again!" He bragged, flashing a smile. Greed was under the stone's influence for over a year, and being free of it's clutches felt like a huge weight had been lifted.

"I guess when I used the stone on you it healed your wounds and freed you of the possession." Edward said. He felt a sigh of relief radiate throughout his body.

Greed's smile fell and looked serious for a moment. "Seriously, kid. You really saved my ass. I can't tell you how grateful I am to you. Thanks." He gave Edward a friendly slap on the back as a kind gesture.

Edward grunted painfully.

Greed raised a brow. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, kid. I hardly touched you." But it soon dawned on Greed what was really ailing Fullmetal. He was holding his head. He was falling to the darkness again. The darkness Edward had just freed him from.

"No, no. Not now. Please not now." Greed said quickly, trying to think of a way out of this for them. "Shit." He cursed aloud. "What can I do?" He asked.

Edward gasped in pain and pulled away. "Leave." Was all he said.

Greed's eyes shot open wide. "Leave? You expect me to leave you after you just saved my sorry ass? You're nuts, kid."

"You know better than anyone that I'm not myself when I change, Greed. I just saved your life, please don't put it in danger because of me." Ed pleaded. "I can't control myself. I've tried to kill the Colonel multiple times now." He said, breathing heavily.

"You won't kill him, Edward." Greed assured him. "You could have one hundred Philosopher's Stones in you and you wouldn't."

"I can't take that risk!" Edward cried out loudly. "Please, go!"

Greed sighed and took the kid by the shoulders. "Listen to me. There were six stone bullets. Three were used on you and two were on me. There's one more that I have stashed away in case something happened and you kept going rogue. The initial plan was to use two stones to take Mustang out. Let me get the last one for you."

Ed hesitated. "It's...too dangerous. If Bradley finds out that you're alive-"

"Fuck Bradley." Greed interrupted. "I can handle him, he just caught me off guard before."

"Caught you off guard and killed you and Ling." Edward reminded him.

Greed rolled his eyes. "Fluke." He said simply. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just let me at least try and get this for you. If I fail, _then_ you can give up on everything. All right?" He offered.

Edward nodded, unsure. "Okay, but please be careful, Greed. I'm _begging_ you."

Greed scoffed. "When aren't I careful?" He asked, getting a dark stare from Edward. "On second thought, don't answer that."

Greed put Edward up against a wall to situate him comfortably. "I'll be back to you in less than an hour. Until then, just do everything you can to _hang on_."

Edward nodded. "I'll try."

Greed nodded back at him, shifting his suit into it's invisible mode. Edward couldn't see him at all anymore, only hear him. "Less than an hour, shorty." Greed reminded him. "You can do this."

"Don't...call...me short." Edward replied, trying to sound angrier than he really was. Truth be told, he'd never been so happy to hear someone call him short in his whole life.

Greed laughed softly. "Okay, kid. I'll see you soon." He said as his voice faded.

Less than an hour.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Hellfire**

 **A/N: Hey all, thanks as always for reading. I did want to give a small disclaimer here. This chapter deals with some sensitive topics. I don't want to reveal spoilers as to what happens, so just read with caution. Love you guys, and I'll catch you next chapter.**

Greed was running quickly through the snow to his destination. He had hoped that when he told Fullmetal it would be less than an hour, it wouldn't be a lie. To be honest, Greed wasn't sure if it was the stone that had brought him back to sanity, or if it was something else.

And that 'something else' wasn't what he was thinking it was.

As Greed ran, he felt his hand twinge, it wasn't the pain from the stone anymore, just the pain in the ass throb he felt when Ling wanted to communicate with him.

"Grrr..." Greed grumbled, he was trying to do this fast and Ling interrupting him wasn't helping matters. "What the hell do you want, Ling? I'm kind of in the middle of something here."

"You lied to him, Greed." Ling spoke to him in his head. "You lied to Fullmetal about having another Philosopher's Stone to cure him of his ailment."

Greed rolled his eyes hard. "You think I don't know that?" He retorted. "I know I lied to him. I was just trying to buy us both some time."

"Time to do _what_!?" Ling yelled. They didn't have the kind of time to let Greed go along with one of his crazy schemes. "Ed is back there alone, and you have no idea if and when Bradley will come back! Who knows what he would do to the kid!"

"Stop recanting everything I already know, Ling!" Greed growled. "I know what I'm doing, but I'm going to need your help to do it."

"Help to do what?" Ling asked. "Where exactly are we going?"

"We're going to the one person that can possibly pull the kid out of this." Greed replied.

Greed stopped running, he and Ling had made it to their destination.

Central Headquarters.

"Central?" Ling said in a perplexed voice. "What're we doing here? Do you think Alphonse has the power to snap Edward out of this?"

Greed shook his head. "No, but Colonel Mustang can." Greed sighed and ran his fingers though his hair. Staying invisible, he walked slowly to the Colonel's room. "You're the one that can heal the colonel, Ling. And besides, they are far more likely to trust you over me."

Greed had a point, Ling had forged a bond with the team for a far longer amount of time than Greed did. For most of the time, he was fighting them as their enemy. Even though he was aware of all of this, it still stung him deep inside to know that they all may still think of him as a threat.

"Please..." Greed said in a defeated voice. "Just take the helm from me on this one."

Ling paused for a moment in thought. He felt the sadness that was swirling inside of Greed. "Are you sure about this?" He asked.

Greed nodded slightly, as if Ling could see him. "Yeah, I'm sure. Besides, this is bigger than me." Snapping out of his mopey mood, he straightened up. "But the second things turn ugly, I want to be back in the driver's seat. Promise me, Ling."

Ling felt himself smiling. "I know how much you had relinquishing control to me. I really appreciate this. You have honor after all. And if there's a breakdown, I promise you get control back."

Greed tilted his head back and sighed. "Okay, on with it then."

As much as he and Ling had learned to get along with one another, it always felt like a dagger was being driven through he skull when they traded places. Whether it be willingly or by force. It didn't make a difference. It sucked either way.

A vein pulsed in Greed's temple, and he grimaced at the sensation. After a few moments, the pain subsided, and Ling was back in control of his own body.

Ling looked down at his hands in amazement. His body felt so free and unrestricted. It had been over a year since he had been in his own shoes again.

And it felt amazing.

Ling let out a sigh of relief and a satisfied smile spread across his cheeks. "Okay...let's do this." With his words, he made himself become visible again. He carefully peered into the Colonel's room. Riza and Alphonse seemed stressed to the limit, and Roy looked like he was dying.

Ling couldn't help but feel guilty. Even though this was out of his—and Greed's—hands, it didn't make him feel any better. Part of him knew, none of this would be happening if he weren't involved.

Opening the door very cautiously, Ling stepped into the room. Riza and Alphonse immediately turned to see who was at the door. Roy, however, was still writhing and groaning in his bed.

Maybe Edward _had_ used the lethal stuff. The man before him didn't look like he had a lot of time left.

"Hey." Ling said timidly, barely raising his hand in a wave.

Riza reacted immediately. In one swift motion, she had her gun in her hand and trained on Ling.

Ling through his hands up quickly. "Easy! It's me! It's Ling!"

Riza gave a confused look, but still kept a bead on him anyways. She felt Alphonse gently place her hand on her and push the gun downward.

"It's okay, Ms. Hawkeye." He told her sweetly. "It's really him." Alphonse had known Ling long enough to know if it was really him. A couple years back, Greed had tried to trick everyone to make them think he was Ling so they would give him all the best food the inn they were staying in had. Alphonse was the only one who saw right through his ruse.

Ling smiled at his friend. "Thank you, Al. It's great to see you again...though I wish the circumstances were better."

Riza looked frustrated. She may have lowered her gun, but she damn sure wasn't holstering it away just yet. "Where's Greed?" She asked in a firm voice.

Ling stuck his hands in his pockets. "Greed let me out for a while. I have something important I need to take care of...and it involves Mustang. I need to take him with me."

Riza scoffed, losing the little composure she had left. "You can't be serious!" She yelled. "Your...'other self' hurt Edward and made him do this to the Colonel! You expect me to allow you to take him with you!? He can barely breathe, Ling!"

Ling drew on her words and nodded to her. He knew she had every right to feel this way. "I have the antidote, lieutenant." He told her, daring to look her in the eye, although very carefully.

Riza had had enough. She stomped over to Ling and grabbed him by the collar of his coat, pushing him against the wall. "Is this some sort of sick joke to you?" She asked him.

Ling sighed and took his punishment. "I know, given recent events, that you all have no reason to trust me, but what you have to know, is that Greed and I were shot with a Philosopher's Stone. It made us do things we couldn't control, just like Edward."

Riza loosened her grip on Ling a little bit, but still wary. "Okay, so how do we know you wont go rogue on us again if the stone influences you?"

Ling took a deep breath before he spoke. "Greed and I took a fatal blow in a fight. We...died and Fullmetal used a stone to bring me back to life. Something in the transmutation he used cured me of my possession and brought me back to the world of the living."

Riza finally released Ling and placed a hand over her mouth. This was all so much to take in. She looked over to the Colonel. She didn't know how much longer she could stand seeing him struggle like this.

"After you heal him, then what?" She asked. "What do you need him to do?"

Ling straightened out his coat from where Riza grabbed him. "Edward is really struggling to fight his dark side right now. I think Mustang would be able to snap him out of it."

"But Brother wants to kill the Colonel, doesn't he?" Alphonse asked in fear. As much as he wanted his brother back, he didn't want to risk the Colonel to do it.

"Mustang is the only other alchemist with power on the scale of Fullmetal's. If anyone can free him of this—it's him. There's really nothing more we can do at this point." Ling told them.

Alphonse saw the panic in Riza's face, so he placed a hand on her shoulder. "It makes sense." He told her. "Colonel Mustang is so strong willed, just like Brother. He can do it, Ms. Hawkeye. I just know he can."

Riza brought her hands to the back of her neck. She looked from Alphonse to Ling. She walked up to him slowly, with an intimidating look on her face. "If you're lying..." She began in a seethe, "I won't hesitate to riddle you and Greed's body with bullets." She warned him.

"Lieutenant..." Roy croaked out from behind her. "Let him do it...please. It's the only...chance Fullmetal has." He said, his chest heaving with each breath he took.

Riza sighed and shook her head. She pointed her gun at Ling again. She wasn't going to take the risk of him trying to pull a fast one on them. Ling knew this was the best he was going to get, so he accepted it and made his way to the Colonel's bed.

"What exactly is the cure, anyways?" Al chimed in. "If the doctors couldn't find anything to cure him in all this time, how do you know you have the right antidote?"

"Greed and I helped make this poison." Ling admitted shamefully. "It was when we under the stone's control. It's a venom made with an alchemic mix. Only Ling and I know the transmutation to reverse the affects."

Greed looked down to Roy. "I have to unbutton your shirt, The circle has to be made on the chest."

Roy looked somewhat uncomfortable with this, and Riza caught wind of this. "I'll do it." She interjected, putting away her gun. She walked over to Roy and undid his buttons carefully. Once she was finished, her gun was right back on Ling.

Ling felt terrible at how bad the Colonel was struggling. "Please try to relax a little, Colonel."

Mustang nodded and closed his eyes, trying to even out his breathing. He tensed when he felt Ling's finger make contact with his chest. He felt Ling drawing circles and shapes on his skin, just like a transmutation circle.

Ling paused for a moment and turned to Riza. "He going to be in a lot of pain for a few seconds. I'm just warning you ahead of time." He told her.

Riza opened her mouth to speak, but words wouldn't come. How could she protest? This was the only chance the Colonel had right now. Seeing in him in pain all this time was more than she could stand. But she would be damned if she was going to leave his side now.

"Lieutenant...hey..." Roy said to her faintly, opening his eyes briefly to look at her. "I'll be just fine, okay?" He told her with a weak smile. "You can't kill me _that_ easily." He reminded her.

A saddened smile found its way on Riza's face. She just nodded back at him. He was the Colonel after all. Surely, he knew what he was doing.

"Okay." Ling said with a hint of nervousness in his voice. "Here we go."

Ling then pressed his hand flat against Roy's chest. Almost instantly, Roy tensed and cried out, barring his teeth in a grimace. As much as he fought to keep his body still, he began to tremble and convulse a little. Ling applied more pressure to the Colonel's chest in an effort to keep him still.

"Sir...!" Riza called out, beginning to run to him, but Ling threw his other hand up to stop her.

"Stay back!" He said firmly, not looking away from Roy. "It's almost through."

Roy was screaming so loud at this point that it was making Riza's soul ache. Maybe she should have left room. But who was she kidding? There wasn't a force in heaven or earth that would make her leave this room. If her Colonel had to take this suffering, she could stand her own suffering in hearing him endure it.

 _Please, please just let it stop!_

Her mind just kept repeating that over and over. Her hands were trembling and her eyes stung with tears. No, she couldn't break now.

She _wouldn't_ break now.

She almost jumped when she felt an arm wrap around her. It was Alphonse. He didn't bother with any words of comfort, because he didn't have any. This was killing him too. But he was there, and that made all the difference.

Moments later, although it felt like days, Ling ripped his hand away from Roy's chest. Roy lurched forward, grabbing at his chest and gasping for air. Riza couldn't wait any longer, she ran to him.

"Colonel?" She asked him in an upset tone. What was happening? Was he okay?

Roy took a deep breath. "It's alright, lieutenant. Ling was telling the truth. " He told her with immense relief. "The pain is gone."

A sob stifled itself in Riza's throat and she threw caution to the wind and grabbed him, hugging him tight. Roy gently stroked her back, really letting her know he was fine. He found himself rolling his eyes back in utter relief and let out a heavy sigh. Roy had experienced some excruciating pain in his days, but this came close to being the worst he'd felt.

Once Riza eventually pulled away, Roy looked at Ling with sincere eyes. "Thank you, Ling." He said kindly. "To you _and_ to Greed." Now he was feeling himself being hugged a little too tightly by Alphonse, but he'd never tell him that, so instead, he laughed.

"Don't mention it." Ling said modestly, lifting his hand slightly.

Riza put her gun away and stood, turning to Ling. She was shaking her head in shame. "I'm so sorry, Ling. I should've-"

"Don't." Ling interrupted her. "It's fine. I don't blame you for being cautious. But...it meant a lot that you trusted me." He said, feeling Riza pat his shoulder.

A look of pure determination hit Roy's face. "Now let's go rescue Fullmetal." he said.

Riza stood at attention. "Sir, I wish to accompany you." She said, sounding back to her old, professional self.

Roy just looked at her, still in awe of what a wonderful lieutenant he had. God, he didn't deserve her. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Hawkeye."

"I'm going to stay here." Alphonse said suddenly. "I don't want to get in the way. I'd feel better if you three went along without me. Besides..." Al began, turning to Mustang, "I know you'll bring Brother back."

"You got it, kid." Mustang told him.

Only a few minutes later, Roy was up and ready to fight. Slipping his ignition gloves on his hands felt great. These were going to be the hands that saved Fullmetal.

Greed watched in silence. He knew that when the Colonel figured out who was really behind all this, it would be a huge bombshell dropped on Central. Hell...on all of Amestris. Not only was their 'devout' Fuhrer out to destroy them, he was also the homunculus, Wrath. To add to it, unlike himself and Fullmetal, he wasn't influenced by any sort of stone.

The man was just pure evil.

Deep down though, it kind of made sense to Greed why Bradley did what he did. Why he wanted Roy Mustang dead. Mustang was highly intelligent and was ranked as one of the highest alchemists next to Edward. It wouldn't be too long before he climbed up in the ranks and replaced Bradley as Fuhrer. Bradley wasn't the kind to just sit back and let this sort of thing happen, so he hatched his plan to take out the two powerful alchemists. Instead of him getting his hands dirty, and risking revealing his true nature, he would just make it so one of the two problems killed the other, and the killer would be sentenced to death for it.

With Fullmetal and the Flame out of his way, his biggest threats would be out of the picture and no one would be the wiser.

It was the perfect plan, really.

Once Roy had finished his preparations, the trio headed out to save their comrade. Roy had never been more determined to fight for something in his entire life. He was _going_ to save Fullmetal. No matter what. And if letting the kid kill him was the only way to make that happen, it was a price he'd gladly pay.

No one was going to hurt his son anymore.

Edward sat alone on the floor in the cave base. Listening to what little sounds there were in this place. Rocks shifting, nocturnal animals making their usual racket. It was better that than sitting here focusing on his pain.

His pain and fear.

Edward never liked to admit when he was scared. He liked to pretend it wasn't an emotion he'd never felt. But if he was being honest with himself, he'd been feeling nothing but fear these days. Ever since he was forced to absorb a Philosopher's Stone, he never stopped feeling paranoid. He felt so much stronger and that scared the hell out of him. If he was stronger, it meant it would only be that much easier for him to kill Mustang.

Fullmetal was also worried Bradley would come back before Greed did. There was no way he would stand a chance in a fight, it was all he could do to even form a thought, much less fight an opponent.

He sat with his knees pressed against his chest. Trying his hardest to ignore the feeling of someone taking an ax to his skull. He whimpered pitifully, and brought his hands to his hair. Why couldn't he just be left alone? Why couldn't things go back to being the way they were? Before the train, before the bullet, before all of this!

Fighting this urge was getting more difficult the more time passed. Edward had been shot with a stone and twice was juiced up with more. It was all too much to take. Edward slammed his back hard into the wall behind him. Anything to get his mind on something else.

 _He had to resist! He had to fight this!_

Greed wouldn't be much longer now. He just had to hang in there a little longer. He slammed his back against the wall again. Shuddering breaths left his lungs.

Then it happened. He just couldn't take it anymore. He knew he didn't stand a chance against all of this. Against all the stones he'd taken into his body. If he let this continue, he was going to succeed in killing Mustang. The influence was just too damn strong.

Shaking, Edward ran his flesh hand along the cool metal of his automail, making it into a blade. The blade he had used so many time to cut up his enemies, and even to cut up...

Edward brought the sharpened metal to his throat slowly. If killing himself was the only way he could keep Colonel Mustang safe...

Then so be it.

Before he moved another inch, the boy let out a cry, his eyes filling fast with tears. He shut his eyes. "Please..." He said with a shaken voice. "Forgive me...Forgive me, Winry...Alphonse...D...Dad." His automail was shaking very hard at this point. "I'm so sorry."

"What a sight." A voice said from beyond Edward. King Bradley. He looked at the older man with sickly eyes. "The Fullmetal Alchemist dying by his own hand. What a waste." He went on. "Please, don't let me be the one to stop you. By all means, continue."

Edward dropped his metal limb from his neck and used the wall behind him to help himself stand. "It was you all along, Bradley." Ed stated. "I'm not as surprised as I thought I would be. I always found something very...off about you."

Bradley chuckled in a cocky manner. "More than you think." He said, peeling the eye-patch from his eye, revealing the red tattoo that all homunculi bore.

Edward pulled back in horror. "You're...you're a..."

"Homunculus. Yes." Bradley finished fro him. "You can call me...Wrath." The man's voice seemed to just convey nothing but evil the more he spoke.

The teen couldn't even fathom all that was happening. He wanted to speak, to scream, but no noise escaped his mouth.

Bradley drew closer to the kid. "Now, Fullmetal, it's time for you to fulfill your purpose and eliminate Roy Mustang."

Edward shook his head. "No! I won't do it! I won't kill him!" He cried out, nearly hyperventilating at this point.

Bradley just scoffed. "You don't have a choice." He told Edward simply, grabbing him by the throat and pushed him hard into the wall. Red electricity and surges began to pulsate throughout Edward's body. He gritted his teeth and tried to fight the urge to scream—he didn't want to give this bastard the satisfaction. But he couldn't help it. He was falling. Deeper and deeper into darkness.

A faint snapping noise was heard in the distance and Bradley hopped to the side out of the way of something. Suddenly, the man was wiping embers out on his shoulder, and Edward hit the ground like a rock.

Through his blurry eyes, Edward could make out three figures. Those being Greed, Riza Hawkeye, and most of all, Roy Mustang. He'd done it, the Colonel was really here, coming to his rescue like he'd hoped he would.

"Step away from the kid now, or I swear I'll burn you to ash you sick fuck!" Roy screamed at the homunculus. Roy was practically growling, his fingers poised to snap again. "Just give me another reason to incinerate you!"

Roy's eyes grew three sizes when he finally realized who his target was.

"Oh, Roy." Bradley said without amusement. "A fiery temper to go along with your fiery alchemy." He dusted himself off and stood upright.

"Fuhrer Bradley!?" Roy stated in disbelief. "You did all this? You're a homunculus?"

Wrath smirked. This reaction was better than he thought it would be and he was eating it up. Roy's face was simply priceless. "Yes, but you can call me by my true name—Wrath."

Riza stepped forward, gun in tow. "Permission to fire, sir?" She asked, her shooting arm still as a statue, aimed right at her target.

"No, hold your fire." Roy ordered her, extending his hand to stop her. He knew bullets couldn't do anything to a homunculus other than just antagonize him further. Besides, he needed answers first.

Wrath smiled and turned to Greed. "Ah, Greed, my son. I see you managed to survive our last encounter?"

Ling exhaled sharply and looked away. "I didn't."

What caught Roy's eye next was Fullmetal on the ground, seemingly out of it. He darted to the boy and scooped him up in his arms. "Fullmetal?" He said softly to the kid. When the kid didn't answer, he shook him a little bit. "Fullmetal? Hey!" He hit Ed's cheeks a few times to see if that woke him.

Nothing.

Roy growled in fury and turned to Wrath. "What the fuck did you do to him, Bradley!?" He roared to the man.

Wrath's cheerful and demented expression didn't change. "I think what should be asking right now is what is he going to do to _you_?"

Roy grunted angrily. "What!?" He yelled, looking down to see Fullmetal going for his face with his blade. Roy was able to dodge away from him, but only just barely.

"Colonel!" Riza cried out, training her weapon onto Edward.

"Don't you dare, lieutenant!" Roy yelled to her. He could handle this, and Edward wasn't going to die today, much less by a comrade.

Wrath then leaped before Riza. "Yes, lieutenant Hawkeye. Do no interfere." He warned her, pulling out both of his sharp blades. "You have your own battle to worry about."

Riza took a small hop backwards and began to fire rapidly at Wrath. She was pulling the triggers of both guns as fast as her fingers would let her. But with every fire she shot, Wrath would twirl his swords around to parry the bullets.

"Shit!" She cursed in a loud whisper, loading new clips into both of her firearms.

Ling was done sitting in the background, watching his friends fight with everything they had. Ling jumped between Wrath and Riza, lunching a kick in Wrath's direction.

Wrath ducked and hurled one of his swords at Ling. If Ling was one thing, it was flexible. He bent backward very far and was able to avoid the blade's strike. Ling then back-flipped over to the sword and hopped onto it. With his feet on the blade, he pulled up on the hilt, snapping the sword in two.

"Always hated that freaking blade." Ling said to himself, placing a hand to where he and Greed were run through by it. His victory was short lived when he felt a stabbing pain in his temple.

"What the hell are you doing here, Ling?" Greed's voice scolded at him. "You said that I would get to party if things got ugly. And from where I am, things look pretty damn ugly!" 

Ling sighed with a whine. "But I'm having fun and I'm actually doing okay!" He replied in his defense.

Wrath was coming at them hard and fast with his one remaining sword. Ling nimbly dodged each of his strikes and landed a hard kick onto Wrath's chest. The kick itself didn't do any damage to Wrath, but at least it bought them some distance.

Wrath looked over, seeing the other of his two weapons on the ground. He grabbed the broken blade with nothing but his bare hand. He aimed, and hurled the blade at Ling again. Ling wasn't so lucky in dodging this time and the blade clipped his arm, leaving a large gash.

Ling winced and looked down to his arm. "Oww..."

"See!?" Greed's words echoed. "If _I_ were in control, _that_ could have been _avoided_!"

Ling let out a frustrated grunt. "Argh, okay fine!" He conceded with a grumble. "Just don't, you know, _kill_ us again."

Greed let out a disgusted scoff. "How many times do I have to say it!? It was a _fluke_!" He yelled, once again taking over in Ling's body. "Oh hell yes." He said in satisfaction, hardening his body in it's armor. "My turn to boogie now."

Greed wound his shoulder to get ready to rumble. "I think you and I have a score to settle,eh pops?" He asked the older man.

Wrath just smiled back at him, unfazed. "Aren't you tired of having me kill you, Greed?" he asked.

Greed grinned wide. "That's the thing." He said, his voice falling eerie. "When I kill _you_...you'll stay down." With his words he morphed his arms into long, thin blades, resembling katana—just like Wrath's.

Wrath crouched into a fighting stance with the sword that was still in one piece. "Show me then, Greed. Make me 'stay down'."

Greed roared in fury and lunged at his father.

Meanwhile, Edward's blows were coming hard and fast at the Colonel. He just kept at it, slashing over and over, furiously at Roy. This time, the kid wasn't going for trivial wounds, he was aiming for veins—arteries.

"Stop it, Fullmetal!" Roy yelled at him.

Edward's only replies were grunts of effort. It was if he hadn't heard a thing the Colonel said. He really was like a beast that had been released from his cage.

With his automail, Edward wen for Roy's abdomen, but Roy caught it and forced it downward. This just made the kid growl even louder and throw a punch with his flesh arm. Roy grabbed this arm too and forced both of the kid's arms to his side.

Fullmetal was physically strong, but not as strong as Roy Mustang. As much as he struggled, the Colonel's grip remained tight on him.

"Just calm down, damn it!" Roy yelled to him.

But Edward jumped upward and used both if his feet to kick Roy in the chest, freeing him from his grasp. He brought down his automail down on the Colonel, who had threw his arms up in defense. Before Fullmetal could cut Roy, Riza fired a round at his metal limb, causing it to go off balance and miss Roy completely.

Roy looked over to his savior and smiled. "Thanks, lieutenant."

"Anytime, sir." She replied. Damn, she really wasn't called 'Hawkeye' for nothing. She'd managed to make Ed miss without hurting him in the process.

"Hawkeye, start drawing a transmutation circle for me. It's time for us to get Fullmetal back." Roy ordered her. Roy didn't have the slightest idea if this would work, he was flying blind really. But he would try a million transmutations if it meant getting him out of this. All he had to do was hold out a little while longer.

But that was a little bit easier said than done. Edward didn't seem to be losing any steam in this fight, but the same couldn't be said for Roy. The poison he'd taken in earlier had stolen a lot of his stamina, and he still had these damn broken ribs. But he wouldn't stop.

Not until Fullmetal was safe again.

"Edward!" Roy called out to the boy, still dodging his strikes. "You have to snap out of this, okay? You need to let us help you!"

Edward didn't relent, he just kept swinging.

Roy just grabbed the boy and hugged him tight. "We love you Edward...all of us." He said into his ear, his voice was firm yet caring at the same time.

Roy held Edward as he resisted for a little bit, but soon it finally ended.

"Edward?" Roy asked cautiously.

Edward hit his knees, taking Roy with him since he was holding him so hard. Roy made it so he could see Edward's face, and then took his face in his hands. "Can you hear me, Fullmetal?" He asked, his voice finally sounding a little hopeful. Had he'd done it?

Had he gotten through?

Roy felt Edward grab his back, returning the embrace. "Colonel..." He said, his voice sounded small and distant. "Please...please just kill me."

Roy gasped in pure horror, shaking his head fast. "How could you ask me to do something like that?" He sounded so hurt by what the kid had said. There was nothing he wouldn't do for the kid, but not this.

Roy refused to kill Edward.

"You have to!" Edward countered. "Whether I'm me or not...I'd never ever forgive myself if I killed you!" He cried.

Roy couldn't take it. He just hugged Edward again. "You won't, Edward...I know you won't."

"But I can't control myself!" Edward screamed, pulling away from the Colonel. He grabbed one of Roy's gloved hands in his. "Just one snap! One snap and it'll all over over!" He was desperately trying to get Roy to snap and use his flame alchemy.

Roy jerked his hand away from the kid. "I could never kill you, Edward. " He said in a defeated voice. "You...you're my son."

Edward just let out a small cry, and managed to smile through it. "I know. And I don't want to lose another father."

Roy just grabbed Edward and hugged him as hard as he could. "It's going to be okay, Edward." He told him, stroking the back of his head gently. "You were able to save Greed and Ling, right? We'll do the same for you."

Edward felt the pain spiking in his head again. "There's not enough...time...for that." He said, screaming out loud from the throbbing of his skull. "I know you've...always saw me and Al as your sons." He told Roy. "And there wasn't _one day_ that I didn't think of you as our father." Edward looked to his bladed automail hand. "Take care of Al for me, okay?"

Roy shook his head in confusion. "What are you saying?"

Edward just smiled again sadly. "I love you, dad." He said, thrusting his blade automail through his chest. "And I'm sorry."

The Fullmetal Alchemist collapsed quickly into the Colonel's arms.

Roy felt his breath leave him. Once again, he was holding a bloodied Fullmetal in his arms.

"Edward...? **EDWARD**!"

 **A/N: I just wanted to thank you for reading. I don't normally delve into topics such as this, but sometimes it's important to do so. If you, or anyone you know is considering suicide, please talk to someone. There is always another way, you are never alone. If you are reading this, I already consider you a friend. Last year, my life was a mess. Most of my family turned their backs on me and I was a couple weeks away from being homeless. I seriously considered throwing myself into traffic. I thought the world would be a better place without me in it. But I was wrong. Now, here I am a year later, with a wonderful job and a secure home, with my family. Please, just don't give up. You can even PM me if you need to. I love all of you and I am always in your corner. (((HUGS)))**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Heartbreak**

 **A/N: Hello, all! This chapter is super late and I am so sorry. Thank you to all who still follow this. I will have the next chapter up within a week. I'm not abandoning this project. No worries! I love you all!~~~~**

Greed and Wrath continued their battle fiercely. Wrath nimbly dodged each and everyone of Greed's strikes. Once he had heard all the commotion, Wrath looked over to see Mustang in a fit of panic. To this, he let out a wicked chuckle.

"Ha! Looks like I should of went after the kid since the beginning!" Wrath said smugly. "Losing that little runt seems to be hurting Mustang far more than any pain I could ever inflict on him."

Greed felt himself fill with white hot rage. "Shut your _fucking_ mouth!" He screamed at Wrath, waving his hand and managing to pin his opponent to the ground. However, Greed knew this reprieve was going to be a short-lived one. "You talk to damn much!" He seethed, jabbing his blade into Wrath's special eye—the one that bore the Homunculus tattoo. When Greed finally heard Wrath cry out he twisted the blade to make it hurt all the more. "Roy!" He called out. "Now's your chance! I can't hold him for long!"

Roy seemed to snap to attention when he heard Greed's words. He exhaled sharply and placed Edward down as gently as he could. Riza just took a step back and knelt beside Edward. Interfering now would not be in anyone's best interest. She had only seen that look in Mustang's eyes once before, and that was when he came face to face with Envy—Maes Hughes' killer.

"You were our beloved Fuhrer." Roy said in a voice that was dark as night, sliding ignition gloves onto each of his hands. "We all respected you— _revered_ you." The more he spoke, the more apparent it became that he was struggling to keep his voice steady."And all the while you were planning to kill me and bring down Central. Destroy all those who followed you." He then slowly began to raise his arms. "You disgust me, Bradley...and I swear...you are going to pay. For everything you did to me...to Central...and most of all for what you've done to _FULLMETAL_!" He roared, snapping harshly with each of his hands one at a time and then once together.

Wrath's screams echoed throughout the cave. After about six or seven snaps of fire, Wrath was able to finally speak.

And he was laughing.

"You are going to regret this, Mustang." Wrath warned the Colonel in a growling voice. "You're going to feel pain you've never even-"

Snap.

Wrath's words were severed by his own screams.

Mustang's face was fallen nearly into madness. "Keep talking you son of a bitch." He said lowly. "Keep talking so I can burn your tongue to a crisp over and over again." He snapped once more, this time burning out each one of Wrath's eye's—what he had left of them. The eardrums came next. Wrath didn't deserve to know when or where his next scorch was coming from. Overcome with emotion, Roy couldn't stand it anymore. "You've killed my _SON_!" He screamed with mourning before unleashing a fury of snaps. Over and over he snapped his fingers, so much that his fingertips began to bleed through his gloves.

Even when there was nothing left to burn, Roy still kept snapping. Riza ran over to him and hugged him tight. "He's dead, Colonel!" She cried. "He's dead! Please stop now!"

Tears filled Roy's eyes as he finally slowed his fingers. Soon his arms just collapsed to his sides. He turned quickly and darted to Fullmetal. His eyes were so red that they stung. Tears were threatening to fall but he refused them. He hit his knees next to Fullmetal.

"You're so stupid, Fullmetal." He said in defeat, his head down and his eyes closed. "Why couldn't you of just waited? Why did you do this to yourself?"

Edward's breathing was barely there anymore and his skin was white as a sheet. He looked at Mustang with sad eyes. "I know..." he said faintly, getting Mustang to finally look at him. "And I'm sorry." He went on. "I know that this isn't the way you wanted things to be, but I couldn't risk losing you." Edward felt himself beginning to cry, tears staining his face. "I just...I couldn't live with myself if I had killed you."

Mustang put his head in one of his hands, still fighting the tears. "Why do you keep sacrificing yourself for me?" He asked in a shuddered voice. "A father should be able to protect his son...not the other way around."

Roy couldn't fight it anymore, tears streamed from his eyes, although he tried to hide it. Looking weak was something he still didn't want Edward to see. Even now.

Edward took his flesh hand and took Roy's hand from his face, holding it in his. "Look at me." he said, just as Roy had him do when he was in the hospital.

Roy opened his eyes, unblinking, to look at Edward beside him. He feared if he shut his eyes again, Edward wouldn't be there anymore.

"You did protect me. You saved me and Al's lives when you took us in years ago." Fullmetal told his Colonel. "And if doing human transmutation, losing my arm and my leg was what it took to meet you...then...I have no regrets. And I know Al feels the same way."

Roy looked around the boy. Blood was all over the place. Edward was almost gone. Once he looked back to his son, he shook his head. "Please don't die Edward." Was all he could bring himself to say. A pointless request, he knew that.

Edward managed a smile through his tears. "Thanks for being my dad, Roy."

Those were Edward Elric's last words.

Roy felt Edward's hand go limp in his. He choked back a sob and closed his eyes again, holding Edward's hand against his forehead. He didn't want to open his eyes. He never wanted to open them again.

It was then that Mustang broke out into sobbing. Riza didn't speak, she just held him. No words were going to help him right now, but she was going to be there. Just like she always was and always would be.

"Please, God, don't take him away from me." Roy whispered.

Riza felt tears fill her own eyes as well. Roy Mustang asking for spiritual help? He wasn't in a great state of mind, and she wondered if he would ever be again. Even though she knew words were useless, she couldn't stop herself anymore. "I'm so sorry, sir."

It was like losing Maes all over again.

Greed stepped forward. "You can try human transmutation." He suggested. "I mean, the kid was infused with more than one Philosopher's Stone, it may be worth a try but you have to act fast." He had no idea what kind of response he would get from a recommendation such as this, but it was worth suggesting. "Ed was able to save me and Ling because we had a stone in us as well, and we weren't dead yet so he didn't have to sacrifice anything in return. But if he's really gone..."

Roy's head shot up immediately. A million and one thoughts running through his mind. Before he knew it he had made up his mind.

"I'll do it." Roy said firmly.

Was there really any question of it? Human transmutation may have been taboo, but if there was even the slightest chance he could save Edward, save his son, well then...

There wasn't anything to think about.

Riza felt Roy break from her grip and stand up. "No, sir, you can't!" She cried out to him. "You don't know what you'll have to give in return!"

Roy turned to her with saddened eyes. "It doesn't matter what the cost is, Hawkeye." He told her. "I'll give _anything_ to save his life. Just as he saved mine."

Riza was the one with tears streaking her face now. Her heart was breaking. "Please don't do this, Colonel." She said, shaking her head desperately. "I need you. I need you so much."

Roy just gave her a touched and compassionate look. He approached her silently and placed a hand on her face, stroking her cheek softly. Then he leaned in and kissed her. Riza was stunned at first, but soon found herself falling into him, wrapping her arms around him.

Once the kiss ended, Roy, with his eyes still closed, pressed his forehead against hers. "The only reason I've made it this far was because you were by my side." He told her.

Riza sniffled and felt herself falling. "There's no one else I'd rather stand beside." She told him. "Serving you had given my life meaning."

Roy smiled sadly and kissed her one more time. "Stay strong, Riza." He told her, breaking away.

Riza took a step back and hit her knees, throwing a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming his name.

As Roy passed Greed, the Homunculus spoke up. "It's taboo, you know that." Greed reminded him. "You sure about this?"

Roy looked at him and smirked confidently. "Absolutely."

Roy looked down to see one of Wrath's swords littering the ground. He picked it up and cut a deep gash into his hand. Blood spilled from his wound, more than enough to make a transmutation circle.

Looking down to Edward once more, he found himself shaking. But there was no time for fear. Firmly, he clapped his hands together. Before he slammed them on the ground, he looked to Riza with a smile and a wink.

Roy forced his palms onto the ground. As soon as his skin made contact with the ground, pain surged throughout his entire body. All Greed and Riza could see was Roy's body collapsing to the ground.

XXXX

The vast whiteness that enveloped Roy was astounding. He couldn't help but feel...overwhelmed. There was so much information pouring into his mind, enough to fill millions upon millions of novels, and it was all happening at once. The next thing he felt was a crawling sensation on his skin. When he looked down, he saw a flurry of tiny black hands grabbing onto him. Try as he might he couldn't get them off of him, nor fight them away. It was apparent that his alchemy was no good here.

After another flood of information, Roy saw himself in a white void again. However, he spotted a figure beyond him.

Truth.

Edward had talked about his encounter with this being to Mustang on more than one occasion, and this was what he had described to the letter. A faint figure that appeared to be made as if from static. The only feature that was decipherable was a large grin that spanned across it's face.

What drew his attention more, however was Edward's lifeless body laying there behind Truth.

"Edward!?" Roy called out, running to his kid.

Truth's sudden voice made Roy stop cold.

" _ **Welcome to the Gate, Colonel Roy Mustang.**_ " Truth teased. " _ **So you actually did it. Preformed the ultimate taboo, all to resurrect the Fullmetal Alchemist.**_ "

Roy balled his fists and growled. "Yes." He said firmly.

Truth let out a guffaw and his grin spread even wider. " _ **So you know that now you must pay the price, right? Equivalent exchange?**_ "

"I'm aware of that." Roy answered. "And I'm willing to pay whatever price it takes to bring him back."

Truth laughed again. " _ **Are you sure about that?**_ " It asked.

Roy looked thrown for a moment. He wasn't expecting that reply. "What?" He asked. "Of course I am."

Truth looked behind him to Edward, and then back to Roy. " _ **He's calling out for you**_." Truth taunted. Roy gasped at the sheer audacity of this...thing. " _ **Crying out over and over again for his 'father'. Or more accurately, he's calling out for Colonel Mustang.**_ "

"Enough of these sick games!" Roy screamed out. "Just bring him back!"

Truth was taken aback by this reaction. From what he'd seen, Colonel Roy Mustang was a selfish man who only cared about getting to be Fuhrer and running his country. To see the day that a man like this would perform human transmutation for someone other than himself? It wasn't something even itself could of foreseen.

" _ **You're willing to sacrifice anything? Even yourself?**_ " Truth asked, finally seeming to be taking the matter seriously. " _ **Would you be willing to give your life for his?**_ "

Roy sighed, his appearance seemed sad and defeated—nearing desperation. "In a heartbeat." He replied. "I'd give my heart, my soul, my entire life. Just...please spare my son." He pleaded. "He and Alphonse...I love them more than anything."

Truth let out a sigh and crossed his arms. " _ **Very well.**_ " He answered. " _ **But these are my terms. Agree to them and I shall grant you what you wish. Disagree and the boy's life is mine.**_ "

"Name your price." Roy said, there was no way he was going to back down now. He'd meant it when he said he'd pay any price.

Truth named his terms and Roy's eyes grew wide. After a moment he closed his eyes and turned his head. "I accept." He said softly, his voice low and somber.

A grin found it's way once again to Greed's face. " _ **Looks like we have a deal.**_ " Truth said and before Roy knew it, he was engulfed in that bright light one more time.

When Roy opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Riza hovering over him.

Joy hit her cheeks when she saw his eyes open. "Colonel?" She asked in concern.

Roy groaned wearily and opened his eyes further. "Hawkeye?" He asked in a daze. Riza nodded happily back at him. The next thought hit him like a ton of bricks. "Fullmetal!" He exclaimed. "Is..is he..."

Roy sat up quickly and rushed over to Edward, who was still lying on the ground motionless. Roy took him into his arms and pushed the hair from Edward's eyes softly. The kid seemed to have a lot more color to his face now, but was that just wishful thinking?

"Edward?" He said with a softened voice. "Please open your eyes."

Edward stirred in Roy's arms a bit and Roy felt his eyes grow wide in anticipation. And then it happened...

Fullmetal opened his eyes.

"C-Colonel?" The kid asked in a small voice, looking up to Roy groggily, as if he'd awoken from nothing more than a catnap.

Roy felt an unbelievable surge of relief fill him. A grateful sigh left his mouth and he hugged Edward tighter than he'd ever hugged anyone before. "Oh, God..." He said in a whisper. "Oh, thank God. It worked." He went on. "I can't believe it actually worked."

There were no words for the happiness Roy felt in this moment. Nothing could compare to this. Fullmetal was right here and he was just fine.

Edward pulled back a little and looked up to his Colonel, confused. "Can't believe what 'worked'?" He asked.

Roy felt a hard lump form in his throat and ignored the question for now. "How are you feeling? Does your head still hurt? Does it still feel like you're not in control of yourself?" He asked.

Edward paused and placed a hand on the side of his head. "No." He answered with a smile. "The pain is all gone. I feel like me again."

Riza and Greed made their way up to the two. "You really had us worried sick, there, Fullmetal." Riza told him. "Even Greed was getting emotional." She joked.

Greed wiped his eyes quickly and cleared his throat. "Shut up. I'm just coming down from my fight with Bradley." He lied. "It was...shit, fine, kid, I'm glad you're all right."

"Thank you, Greed." Edward said. "All of you. I'm so sorry for putting you all through this. Please forgive me." As happy as he was to be back, he did still feel bad for upsetting them all in the first place. But he knew as well as the rest of them, that he wouldn't have done it unless he felt there was no other way. But he would never make that mistake again. He had far too much to lose now.

Roy couldn't stop smiling. Edward was alive. His _son_ was alive. He was here, he was alive and he was safe. Roy put a hand on Edward's shoulder. "If you ever do that to us again, I'll snap you out of existence." Roy warned him.

Edward laughed cautiously and nodded. "Yeah. I know. I promise, no more crazy stunts."

Roy scoffed, he knew better than anyone that Edward was the king of crazy stunts and that wasn't going to change any time soon. "Edward..." Roy began, "I really-" But was cut off by his own loud scream. He jerked forward, grabbing his chest.

Edward immediately looked concerned. "What is it!? What's wrong?"

Roy didn't answer, he only looked away, breathing with strained breaths.

Just then, Edward woke up.

"Colonel...you brought me back with...human transmutation...didn't you?" Edward asked, guarded. Roy just looked away in shame, still holding his chest. A loud gasp left Edward. "You...you saw the Gate didn't you?"

Roy just shut his eyes tighter. He couldn't bear to face Fullmetal with this. "Yes." He said sadly.

Edward whimpered and put his hands in his hair. " _What_!?" He cried. "How could you do something like that!? What the hell were you thinking!?"

Riza couldn't stand aside any longer. "He didn't think. He just reacted, doing whatever it took to get you back." She told him.

"You two are just alike in that regard." Greed chimed in.

Edward looked back to his Colonel, mouth slightly agape. "Is that true?"

Roy remained silent, gaze still cast downward and nodded his head.

Edward felt panic fill his body. "Then...something was taken from you." He sounded like he meant it as a question, but he meant it more as a statement. A stern look hit his face. "Tell me what it was."

That wasn't a question either.

 _(Flashback)_

" _ **You're willing to sacrifice anything? Even yourself?**_ " Truth asked, finally seeming to be taking the matter seriously. " _ **Would you be willing to give your life for his?**_ "

Roy sighed, his appearance seemed sad and defeated—nearing desperation. "In a heartbeat." He replied. "I'd give my heart, my soul, my entire life. Just...please spare my son." He pleaded. "He and Alphonse...I love them more than anything."

Truth let out a sigh and crossed his arms. " _ **Very well.**_ " He answered. " _ **But these are my terms. Agree to them and I shall grant you what you wish. Disagree and the boy's life is mine.**_ "

"Name your price." Roy said, there was no way he was going to back down now. He'd meant it when he said he'd pay any price.

Truth may not have had any eyes, but somehow, Roy could see the malice in his face. " _ **You must sacrifice your heart. The heart you love your precious boys so deeply with.**_ "

Roy felt his eyes widen and he placed a hand to his chest. "I accept."

" _ **I'm not heartless...pardon the pun,**_ " Truth told him. " _ **I'll give you one year to get your affairs settled and to say your goodbyes to everyone. At the end of that year, your heart will fail and you will die.**_ "

Roy felt himself sink a little inside. He didn't care about his life, just his boys'. But he wanted more time with Edward and Alphonse and...Riza. But if time was something he would have to give up...he'd do it.

No question.

"I already told you that I accept." Roy said grimly. "Just get on with it already." He was far past losing his patience.

Truth nodded. " _ **Very well.**_ " With that, he summoned a barrage of tiny black hands again that went and stabbed him right through the heart, and after that, we was waking up.

 _(End Flashback)_

"A year?" Edward said, holding back his grief as much as he could...and failing. "That's all you have left?"

Roy looked at Edward with determined eyes. "Edward, I knew what I was doing. I knew the price I'd have to pay, and it was my choice to pay it. I have no regrets." He told him, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I'd give my life a million times over to save yours."

Edward had never felt so helpless. "But I didn't want you to do that!" He cried.

Roy smiled sadly and gave a small chuckle. "Too bad, kid." He said. "I told you, it's a father's job to save his son, not the other way around." Edward looked distraught. "Hey," Roy continued, getting Edward to look in his eyes. "I have no regrets."

Edward just let out a sad, whimpering noise and hugged Roy as hard as he could. "I'm going to save you, dad. I'm going to find a way. I promise!"

From over Edward's shoulder, Roy looked over to Riza. She was silent but he saw the tears falling on her face. He gave her a wink as if to say, 'trust me, it'll be okay'.

Roy broke from his embrace from Edward. "I'm all right." he assured him. "It's passed for now." he said. "Let's get you back to Alphonse."

"Yeah..." Greed jumped in. "That metal head was worried sick about you. He'll be thrilled to know you're okay."

Edward knew Greed was trying to make the moment easier. But right now, Edward was a lot of things, but he definitely not okay. However, he nodded, wiping the tears from his face. "Yeah...you're right. We should get going." Edward then stood and walked out of the room, in a near catatonic state.

Riza walked over to Roy and helped him stand. He hugged her and pressed his forehead against hers. "Come on." He said, following Edward's lead out of this place.

Greed hung back for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. It felt stiff and painful all of a sudden. "Friggin' kid...can't seem to catch a break."

 **A/N: I hope this chapter was worth the wait! I tried to make it long for you guys! Thanks so much for reading!~~**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Cold-Hearted**

 **A/N: I hope you enjoy the climax to this crazy ride. Things as to future writings are posted at the end of this chapter. I still don't own anything in regard to Fullmetal Alchemist...**

 **Dang it.**

 _A few days later..._

Once everyone had made it back to Central, things finally seemed to settle down a little. However, rules seemed to be starting to circulate that Fuhrer Bradley was missing. No one had seen him since the mission to retrieve Fullmetal was carried out. Everyone had their own theories as to what happened, but the only ones who knew the truth were the ones who were actually there. And it was a secret that they intended to keep.

For as long as they could anyway.

But that wasn't Edward's biggest concern at the moment. Honestly, he couldn't care less about Bradley, or Wrath, whatever he decided to go by before he met his fiery end. That evil man was dead and gone and that was all he needed to know.

Once Alphonse saw Edward come through the door, seemingly all well and good, he was overjoyed. The blond was subjected to tight, cold, metal hugs from his brother. But he happily accepted. He knew his little brother was worried sick about him, he was entitled to a few uncomfortable hugs. Truth be told, if the situation were reversed, he would be doing the exact same thing.

Besides, he missed the hell out of his little brother. For now, he decided to hold off in telling him about the Colonel's condition.

Just let the kid be happy as long as he could be.

The last thing Edward wanted to do was crush Al's happiness with tragedy. But when all was said and done, he was going to find a way to save Colonel Mustang—save their dad. As for how he was going to do it...

Well, he had no idea.

XXXXX

Infirmaries where one of the places that Roy hated more than anything. He was hooked up to anything and everything. His dark blue shirt was unbuttoned and wires and nodes were attached to his chest to check his heart rate. All the beeping and electrical noises were making him nuts. He didn't want to be here. He didn't _need_ to be here. Truth and human transmutation was what had damaged his heart, and it wasn't something a doctor could remedy. It wasn't even a human affliction, if anything it felt more...supernatural. But Hawkeye heavily insisted, and he had learned long ago that if she was adamant about something, it as in his best interest to go along with it.

 _Beep...beep...beep. God, he hated this._

More than anything, though, he wanted to ring the neck of the doctor that was in way too close proximity to him, pressing a stethoscope against his chest.

"Just breathe naturally, Colonel." The doctor stated, as he listened closely to the plugs in his ears.

Breathe naturally? What the hell did this idiot think he was doing?

Roy wanted nothing more than to push this guy off of him and singe his doctor coat for good measure. But what he didn't notice was his breaths were coming hard and rapid.

"Aren't you done yet?" Roy asked in annoyance.

"Quiet, Mustang. I can't hear properly." the doctor said, moving the cool metal on his patient's chest.

Roy couldn't take it anymore, he pushed the doctor away from his personal space. "You've done enough."

The doctor took a step back and removed the stethoscope from his ears, sighing. His voice was stern and serious. "Your heart rate is out of control, Roy. Your breathing is shallow and your pulse is hammering."

Roy turned away, buttoning his shirt back closed.

The doctor shook his head. "What the hell happened to you on that last mission?" He asked, shaking his head.

Roy scoffed. "You know I can't discuss that with you. Anything that transpires on missions is top secret. You know that." He looked back to the doctor with an unamused face.

The doctor rolled his eyes at his difficult patient. "No, but what I do know is that you left here with a perfectly fine heart and came back with a heavily damaged one. You're only 28, Roy. This isn't normal. No heart conditions run in your family."

Roy looked back to him with dark eyes. He never liked it when someone mentioned his family. Madame Christmas adopted him when he was very young, and he knew virtually nothing about his bloodline. "How the hell would you know?" he asked.

"This is really serious, Roy." The doctor said, softening his voice a little.

"I'll be _fine_." Roy insisted, growing more impatient by the second.

The doctor looked at Roy for a few moments. "Something _did_ happen, didn't it?" He wasn't stupid, it was more than obvious that the Colonel was hiding something. And whatever it was, it was detrimental to his health.

Roy felt himself fly off the handle. "It's nothing!" He shouted. With this felt a sharp pain in his chest, grabbing it with his hand. Roy let out a pained noise and the heart monitors spiked.

The doctor put his stethoscope once more to Roy's chest again. He couldn't believe his ears. His heart sounded like nothing he had ever heard before. It was hard yet weak at the same time and unnaturally fast. Roy's breaths were hollow and faint.

How the hell was he still alive?

He then placed a hand on Roy's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Just try and calm down, Roy." He said gently. "I won't ask any more questions." He assured him.

With this, Roy seemed to relax a little and the monitors slowed down. But everything was still way out of what it was supposed to be. Slower, but still very irregular. Roy tried t steady his breathing a little more, but he still had a hand to his chest.

The doctor patted Roy's shoulder again and stepped away again. "All I'm going to tell you is to try and stay calm and not to overexert yourself." He said. "Your heart seems to have turned on you. Now, I can't make you listen to me, I can only give you my recommendations. But your body is different now and you have to take the proper precautions."

Roy still didn't look at the man before him, he just nodded. "Yeah...I will." He said softly. He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel a little bad for being so rude to the doctor, the man was just doing his job after all. But that didn't change what was wrong with him. It didn't change the fact that he was...dying.

The doctor let out a wry chuckle. "No you won't." He said. "You're Colonel Mustang. You're going to do whatever you feel you need too. Just...watch the recklessness, or you'll be dead before you know it."

Roy knew the man was right. If he wasn't careful, he wouldn't even last the year that Truth gave him. Roy felt the one thing he hated feeling more than anything else.

He felt useless.

Once he had gotten himself presentable again, Roy made his way out to the waiting room where Lieutenant Hawkeye was waiting for him. "Let's go." He said coldly and began to head for the door when he felt Riza grab his arm to stop him.

"Wait! What did he say?" She asked him expectantly.

Roy sighed and pulled her aside where they couldn't be heard by anyone. "I don't know why you insisted on me coming here. You know what's happening with me isn't exactly normal." He told her.

" _What_ did he _say_?" She asked more firmly this time.

Roy just rolled his eyes and looked back to her. He cared far too much for her to lie. "What do you think, Hawkeye? There wasn't anything he _could_ do. So it's...bad. It's...really bad. What did you expect? You know what happened."

Riza felt her throat grow dry and she shook her head in confusion. "Well, did he...suggest anything?" She asked.

Roy scoffed with a laugh. "Yeah, he said that I should take it easy and 'relax'. What a joke."

"Then that's what you have to do." She told him.

Roy looked at her in disbelief. "Are you serious?" He asked, lowering his voice even further, "I'm the Colonel and our Fuhrer is dead. I have to bust my ass to make sure things don't deteriorate into chaos." Roy watched as Riza's face fell, so he decided to lighten up a little bit. "Listen," he began, "I'm not planning to work myself into an early grave, but I can't be...bedridden. It would make me crazy."

Riza looked at him with sad eyes. She brought her gaze to his chest and gently placed her hand over his heart.

Roy cleared his throat and took a step back away from her. "I'm fine, all right? I just need to get out of here." He said suddenly. "I'm not permitted to drive home from here so I guess it falls to you." He said angrily and turned to leave.

Riza stood there for a moment, taking out her car keys into her hands. She could tell he was in pain again and didn't want her to see it.

"Okay..." She said softly to herself, and solemnly followed him out of the infirmary.

XXXXX

Just one night.

That was all Edward wanted with his little brother before he broke the news to him that Colonel Mustang was dying, and it was all his fault. They had all been through hell with this last mission and they needed the brief reprieve.

The boys were on their way home from the library when they noticed how much snow was strewn about. It all looked so pretty and fun. As Edward walked, he felt a cold burst of snow hit him in his midsection. When he looked over, he saw Alphonse with snow covered gloves, giggling to himself.

Ed chuckled, "So that's how it is, eh, Al?" He said, scooping some snow up into his hands. He chucked the snowball at Al, hitting him square in his helmet, much to Al's delight.

Al then picked up two larger snowballs and hurled them at Ed. In response, Ed pressed his hands against the cold ground and made a snow barrier to protect himself.

"Haha! You missed!" Ed laughed slyly.

"Hey! No alchemy! That's cheating, Brother!" Al whined.

Gathering more snow, behind his safe haven, Ed laughed harder. "Sorry, Al! Can't hear you over how awesome I am!"

In that moment, snow began to fall in big, soft, fluffy flakes. It was so beautiful. The brothers decided to take a break from their snowball war and gazed upwards.

"Wow..." Al said in amazement. "Sure is pretty, isn't it Brother?"

Ed stuck out his arms and spun around, trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue. "Yeah, it is! It's not even snowing hard enough to make my stumps ache. This is great!" He continued to spin around playfully.

Alphonse fell onto his back and attempted to try and make a snow angel.

Or a snow...something.

Edward was brought from his delight when he felt cold snow hit the side of his face. He shivered a little and shook the snow off of him. "What the hell, Al!? I thought we were in a time-out!" He complained.

Al sat up quickly. "It wasn't me Brother! Honest!" He insisted in his sweet little voice.

"Well someone-!" Ed began, and then looked over to see Roy standing a little ways ahead, smiling gently at him, wiping snow from his hands.

The look on Edward's face was sad and guilty, but Roy was still smiling warmly. The two of them saying everything with just the looks on their faces, and the snow falling softly, unknowing of everything that had happened between the two.

Al broke the gaze when he stood up cheerfully. "Colonel Mustang? Did you really come all the way out here to play with us?" He asked in surprise.

"I did." Roy said, looking to Al and then back to Edward. "If you'll have me."

It took Edward a moment, but his saddened face turned into a bright mischievous grin. "You asked for it, you Colonel Bastard!" He yelled, grabbing more snow.

"Excellent." Roy said playfully, making his own snowball. "Alchemy allowed?"

"It's not _supposed_ to be." Al said in a huff. "But _Brother_ likes to cheat!"

"Oh, pipe down you big metal baby!" Edward snapped back. "All's fair in a fight. You should know that better than anyone!"

Roy just watched his boys bickering back and forth and in that moment fell in love with them even more. No one knew what the future would hold. All they knew was that tomorrow could wait because right now...

There was a snowball fight to win.

 **PART ONE -END**

 **A/N: Okay guys, so this story was initially planned on being a trilogy type of thing. But I don't know if you all would prefer to have this be one long story or three separate ones. Please let me know if you have a specific way you'd want to see it. It's all written out, it's just a matter of typing it out. So please read and review and let me know what you think. I love you all. Until next time. ;)**


	15. Chapter 15 - Flicker of the Flame

**Fullmetal and the Flame Part 2**

 **Flicker of the Flame**

 **A/N: Okay! Back with the sequel! Whoo hoo! I've decided I'm going to post this as it's own story as apart of the trilogy I've mentioned before, but I'm also continuing it on this story since it's all connected. Please leave a review and as always, thanks so much for reading, it really means the world to me. Blah blah...I don't own FMA blah blah...**

 **Until next time lovelies! ;)**

 _(January)_

It was freezing outside. So cold that Edward would swear that his automail was frozen in place. Luckily for him, though it wasn't snowing at the moment. If the snow fell hard and fast enough, it would make his ports ache terribly. Any battles that could come their way would be a whole lot harder until he was in warmth. At that moment, he wished he was like Alphonse—unable to feel this biting chill.

But as soon as that thought came, he shook it away. Alphonse may not be able to feel this freeze, but he also couldn't feel the warmth of someone's arms around him, or taste the many different delicacies the world had to offer.

Edward was just being selfish.

Alphonse wasn't going to stay that way forever, though. Edward had promised a while back that he was going to get he and Al's bodies back to normal, back to the way they were before they had made the biggest error of their lives.

The brothers walked in silence. The only sound to be heard was the crunching of their boots on the snow beneath them. Usually the brothers were very talkative on their excursions, but words offered no solace at the moment. Right now, they preferred the quiet but...

Maybe the temperature wasn't the reason the air was so cold.

Edward knew that his little brother wasn't very happy with him, and to tell the truth, he couldn't blame him. Edward may not of technically lied to Alphonse, but he certainly wasn't truthful either.

Alphonse was sick and tired of Edward withholding information from him 'for his own good', or because 'Ed was protecting him'. His body may have been a suit of armor now, but he still loved, he still had feelings.

Suffice to say, Alphonse didn't take the news about Mustang very well—just as Edward had predicted.

 _(Flashback – The Previous Night)_

Edward had waited a day longer than he had planned before he broke the news about Colonel Mustang...about their dad. However, he knew he had to tell him, and the more he put it off, the worse it was going to be when it inventively came out.

Edward and Alphonse sat in their room at Central, looking over Alchemy books as they often did. Edward had been unusually quiet and brooding since their snowball fight with the Colonel the previous night.

Alphonse could tell that Edward wasn't even reading the book he held before him. He was just blankly staring at each page, waiting a few moments before turning them.

Did Brother really think he could fool him that easily?

Edward already had a hard time with his feelings, but when it came to their Colonel...he just lost what little composure he already had to begin with.

Alphonse closed his book abruptly. Edward jumping at the sudden noise, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"When are you going to tell me what's going on, Brother?" Alphonse asked.

Edward gulped nervously and sat up in his bed, closing his own book now. "What are you talking about, Al? Everything is just fine." He felt himself cringe at his own lie. He knew his little brother wasn't going to buy that. And he was right.

Alphonse didn't.

A beat of awkward silence before Alphonse spoke again. "Why are you lying to me? I thought we were passed all of that."

Edward sighed, annoyed at himself for his deceit. "I know." He admitted. "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Something is going on with Colonel Mustang right?" Alphonse asked.

Edward's eyes grew wide. Alphonse was so damn smart, and he tended to forget that at times. "What do you mean?" Edward replied, padding for time.

"Come on, Brother." Alphonse said, irritated. "As much fun as I had at our snowball fight together, you have to admit that it was very out of character for Colonel Mustang to just join us like that."

God damn if the kid didn't make a good point.

Edward just shrugged and looked away. "Who knows why he did it? Maybe he just wanted to let loose a little after that mission. I mean it-"

"Just stop it, Brother!" Alphonse yelled, cutting his older brother off. His tinny voice sounding like it was breaking from holding all of this in for too long. The chair behind him clattered to the floor with force as he stood. "Just tell me what the hell is going on! I want the truth! I care about Colonel Mustang just as much as you do!"

Alphonse hardly ever cursed. If he did it meant he was serious.

Edward sighed sadly and put a hand in his hair. "I know you do, Al." He said. "I know. It's just this is...so hard for me to tell you."

"Just say it."

Edward grunted in frustration and got off of his bed. "Damn it, Al, there are just some things you're better off not knowing." His back was now to Alphonse, he couldn't look him in the eye. He just couldn't.

"That's not for you to decide!" Alphonse yelled back.

Edward looked over his shoulder to Alphonse. "You're my little brother, Alphonse. It's my job to-"

"To what!? Keep me in the dark!?" Alphonse interrupted again.

Edward finally turned around. "Al..." Edward began sadly, "i don't want to tell you because the last thing I want to do is upset you."

"You're upsetting me _now_ , Brother!" Alphonse retorted.

Edward growled. "Fine. You want to know?"

"Yes, of course I do!"

"You _really_ , _really_ want to know!?"

"Out with it!"

"I didn't want to tell you that he was _dying_! Okay, Alphonse!? Colonel Mustang is _dying_!"

An eerie silence filled the room, when it was booming seconds before.

"Wait...h-he's...dying?" Alphonse said in a small voice.

Edward wiped his face tiredly with his hands. "Yes...and it's all because of me." His voice was lower now too.

"I-I don't...understand." Alphonse said in a quiver.

Edward shuddered, fighting to not get emotional now.

"On our last mission...Colonel Mustang used a Philosopher's Stone to bring me back, using human transmutation to do it." Edward explained.

Alphonse was thrown. It suddenly felt like Edward was speaking an entirely different language. "Wait...bring you back? Brother did...did you die?"

Edward felt guilt spread in his chest. He prayed that Alphonse wouldn't want him to elaborate on _how_ he had been killed. Even though it was to save Colonel Mustang, the fact remained that Edward still had attempted suicide.

And he never wanted Alphonse to know that.

"I did." Edward said with a small nod. "I'd accepted my fate because I knew that I wouldn't stop in my pursuit to kill the Colonel. But when I was gone...I guess he couldn't handle it, so he did the stupidest thing he could think of—human transmutation."

Alphonse shook his head meekly from side to side. "But human transmutation doesn't work, if it did we would have our mom back."

"Yeah, I'm aware of that." Edward replied. "My only guess as to why it worked is because I had two Philosopher's Stones fused into me. I wouldn't be surprised if all the souls trapped in those stones had something to do with it."

Edward took a pause and hung his head. "If I could have stopped him...I would have. Even if he would have hated me forever for it."

"So..." Alphonse began. "the Colonel clearly still has his limbs and his body...so what exactly was taken from him?"

Edward hesitated before he told him, but he was too far in this now and there was no going back. "You know how teacher tried to resurrect her baby that had passed away, and Truth destroyed her organs she needed to bare children?"

Al nodded.

"Well, Truth decided to destroy the Colonel Bastard's heart...the heart he loves everyone so fiercely with." Edward explained.

Alphonse couldn't bring himself to speak. There really weren't anything he could say at the moment. This all felt like a nightmare all of the sudden.

"Truth gave him one year to get his affairs settled and once that year is over he's gonna..." Edward stopped. He couldn't say anymore.

Alphonse shook his armored head hard. "No! I won't accept this! There's got to be something we can do for him!"

Edward let out a scoff. "Who do you think you're talking to, Al? Do you really expect me to sit around and do nothing with this? I'm going to find a way to save him, the way he saved me."

He said and he meant every damn word. "I'm not going to let things end this way."

Alphonse stood up straighter, more determined now than ever before. "I want to help you. I'm _going_ to help you."

Edward gave his brother a warm smile. "Of course you are. I can't do this without you. You're strong and intelligent, I know we can do this."

Alphonse walked closer to his brother. "The only way this is going to work is if you stop trying to protect me and treat me as your equal."

Edward nodded in agreement. "I owe you at least that much. We're a team on this one, okay?"

"Right." Alphonse agreed. "From here on out, no more secrets."

Edward gulped nervously with a shaky nod. There was no way he could tell Alphonse that he had committed suicide, he wouldn't understand, and certainly wouldn't forgive him for it. Al wouldn't see it as some noble sacrifice to save their Colonel, he'd see it as the ultimate selfish act. He'd see it as his brother abandoning him when he needed him the most. Leaving him to face everything alone. Brother had promised him he would get their bodies back and he wouldn't break that promise.

Edward couldn't tell him—he just couldn't.

"Sure, Al. You got it. No more secrets." His lie stung his mouth like venom.

"So when do we get started?" Alphonse asked.

Edward smirked confidently. "I'm thinking dawn."

XXXX

Roy's mind was wandering. As much as he tried to focus on the person in front of him speaking, no doubt about something important, he just couldn't concentrate. It was as if the words went in one ear and out the other. Right now, how could he be expected to care? There were much more pressing matters at hand.

It had only been a handful of days since he had watched Fullmetal die in his arms, and then revive him with the ultimate taboo, only to find out he was going to die in a year from doing it. The burden of this wasn't because he was worried for himself, he was worried about leaving his boys behind. They had already lost so much in their lives and this would just add fuel to the flames.

Not to mention he hadn't been exactly patient with lieutenant Hawkeye lately. The two had been at odds since he was examined at the infirmary. He wasn't being good to her, as a matter of fact he was being a downright asshole.

Why did he have to acknowledge his feelings for her?

Doing that, it made those feelings tangible—made them real. All he wanted to do was love her with all his heart, but that was one organ he couldn't rely on anymore. Pulling away from her was the only choice. Why start a relationship that could never be? Why torture themselves for a year only to have him die on her?

Roy couldn't put her through that.

"Colonel Mustang!" A voice boomed loudly, snapping him out of his train of thought. The sheer volume made him jump.

"Huh?" Roy asked, somewhat still in a daze.

"Were you even listening to me or were you daydreaming?" The figure asked.

Roy cleared his throat and sat further up in his seat. "My apologies, General Armstrong. That was very rude of me."

General Armstrong was the sister of Major Armstrong. Tall, blonde, with icy blue eyes that everyone swore could kill a man. Her beauty was only rivaled by the power she held. She may look feminine, but she could snap a neck before Roy could even snap his fingers.

She was intimidating as all hell.

"You were saying?" Roy continued, making sure she had his undivided attention this time.

Armstrong sighed in annoyance. "What has you so distracted, Mustang? Have a woman waiting in your office or something?" She was very unamused.

Roy looked away from her. How much he wished it was something as simple as that.

No one at Central knew of his condition except for Hawkeye and Fullmetal, and he wanted to keep it that way. As long as he could anyway. If anyone else were to find out that he was creeping towards death, no one would treat him the same anymore. Despite of his fate, he still wanted to be Fuhrer, even if it was for one day.

Could he die happy then?

Of course not. Even above being Fuhrer, Roy wanted to be with the people he loved. But he wasn't going to be and that was killing him. He tried to be optimistic, but it was something he was finding harder and harder to do these days.

It's not over until it's over, right?

"My apologies, General." Roy said again. "I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, and now it's starting to affect my work, apparently."

It wasn't a lie. Roy had barely slept a wink since everything had happened. And on nights when he actually managed to get to sleep, he was plagued by nightmares.

Haunting, vivid nightmares.

Armstrong sat back in her chair, she could tell Roy was hiding something. As much as he usually tended to doze off in meetings, she could tell that something else was going on besides sheer boredom. However, she decided not to press it—for now.

"I asked you if you've seen any sign of Fuhrer Bradley since you're last mission?" She asked, still stone-faced.

Roy shook his head quickly, a little too quickly. "I can assure you that I haven't. It's so weird, it's like the man just...vanished."

"Except that that's impossible." Armstrong pointed out.

Roy felt himself hesitate for a moment. He couldn't tell the General that, not only was King Bradley the Homunculus known as Wrath, but he lit the fucker up like Christmas.

And that he would do it all again if given the chance.

But if word of this were ever to get out to anyone, not only would he be far beyond fired and arrested, he could even be executed. Regardless of his motives, the fact remained that he killed the _Fuhrer_. The Fuhrer people looked up to and respected to lead their country. Even more so, he could kiss his dream of becoming Fuhrer himself goodbye.

It was all just way too risky.

"We've sent forensic units to comb the scene for clues." Armstrong reminded him. "Those men are highly intelligent. Yet they've all turned up nothing."

Roy leaned forward, a smug grin on his lips. "Are you accusing me of something, General?"

"Should I be?" She retaliated.

"Of course not." Roy answered, sitting back in his seat. "I gave every detail of what happened in my report."

Another lie.

"Mmm." Armstrong hummed, clearly anything but convinced. "I see, well, if you do find something or a memory bubbles it way to the surface, let me know immediately." After a beat she narrowed her eyes, looking at Roy's face. "You're pale, Mustang. Are you ill?"

Armstrong was right. Roy looked like shit and he knew it. He couldn't help it though, his chest was aching and he was doing all he could to hide it.

"No, not at all." he lied. I'm just fine, General. Please continue."

Armstrong just glared at him. God, Mustang was a terrible liar. She rolled her eyes and went on. "As it stands right now, we have no Fuhrer and that cannot be ignored. So, you have been chosen to be named Fuhrer until King Bradley's return."

Roy couldn't help it, his jaw dropped to the floor.

Did she really just say that? Was this some cruel dream he would soon wake from?

Armstrong noticed his reaction. "What? Do you refuse?"

Roy stammered clumsily. "N-no not at all, it's just...I can't believe this is real."

"Think of this as a chance to prove yourself." She told him. "Prove you can handle being in this position should Bradley not return."

"Oh, I can handle it." Roy assured her. "I would be honored to serve as Fuhrer."

"Great. The title is yours, congratulations." She said with no enthusiasm at all. "All of the paperwork you need to fill out will be on your desk in the morning."

No...not now! The pain in Roy's chest had gone from a dull ache to a sharp pain now. He couldn't stand this attacks. They never lasted too long, but damn were they painful. A pained wince left his mouth and he gripped the arms of the seat a little harder.

Armstrong gave him a condescending glance while he fought to keep his composure.

"Great, thank you." Roy said in a strained voice. "I'll make sure you won't regret this decision. Now...was there anything else you needed me for, General?"

"No. You're excused." She replied in distaste.

Roy rose from his seat quickly. "Thank you for your time." He said with a weak salute. It was the best he could manage at the moment. Then he turned on his heel and left the General's office.

Roy rushed to the nearest washroom, he couldn't make it to his office. He locked the door behind him and rushed to the toilet and vomited. The pain didn't always make him nauseated, but it sure did this time. The tensing motion from the heaving made his chest hurt more.

Once there wasn't anything left for him to throw up he sat on the floor.

 _Just breathe through it, Roy. Just keep breathing._

Breathing was easier said than done right now, the pain was immense. Bringing two fingers to his neck he checked his pulse. Easily 200bpm or more.

How the hell was he still alive?

"Oh shit." he whispered to himself. He had to try and relax, try and get through this. It would pass, just as it always had before.

After about two to three minutes of hell, the pain finally seemed to ease a little. But Roy decided to sit there for a few more minutes before he attempted moving. Making his way to the sink, he turned the cold water on, splashing it on his hot and sweaty face. He took a moment to really drink in his appearance. It seemed General Armstrong wasn't wrong.

He really did look pale.


	16. Chapter 16 - A Light in the Darkness

**Chapter 2:**

 **A Light in the Darkness**

 **A/N: Yeah, I know its been forever since I updated and I am so sorry! Since the new year began work was nuts and I've dealt with two double ear infections since then. And then of course there was Kingdom Hearts III which took a big chunk of my time, haha. Anyways, thanks for waiting, and as always, I love you guys! Enjoy~~!**

* * *

Riza walked slowly into her apartment—almost catatonic. It was as if she weren't in control of her body. Just going through the motions.

That was what she was doing.

A feeling at her feet snapped her out of it a bit. When she looked down, she saw little Hayate bounding at her feet, overwhelmingly happy to see her after her long day at work. The pup always was there to greet her, on days when he wasn't at the office with Riza herself.

Luckily, Hayate never needed to worry about having to go out on days when Riza worked late. Normally, she would have Havoc or Breda handle it, but if they were busy, the sweet ten year old girl down the hall from her to do it.

Sad as Riza was feeling at the moment, seeing her dog always made it easier. Seeing him prancing at her feet always brought a smile to her face.

With a quick pat on the head, much to the pup's delight, Riza decided to settle in for the night. As she made her way into the kitchen, she reached into her hair and pulled the barrette that held her hair up. It always felt so tight by the end of the day. Blonde locks fell to her shoulders, and she tossed the hair clip aside.

Once she was there, she opened the cabinet and removed a wine glass and a bottle of white wine, pouring herself a glass. Behind her, she heard Hayate. He was hungry. Laying her glass down, she filled his food and water bowls with his usual meal—top quality dry dog food and water.

Immediately, Hayate made for the bowl and began crunching on his snack.

Back to her wine, Riza leaned against the counter. Normally, she didn't really drink. Staying sharp was crucial to her mission, but once in a while, she indulged. Even though she never particularly liked the taste of wine. However, it wasn't the taste she was after.

Riza wanted to feel numbed.

All of this was getting too much to handle. Looking after the Colonel was all she knew anymore, she didn't think she could do anything more worth doing.

Being by his side, following him into hell itself if she had to.

Among feeling broken, she also felt pissed off. She knew what Roy was doing. Thinking if he pushed her away, it would make things easier when he inevitably...

Didn't he think more of her then that? Was he seriously trying to distance himself from her? They both knew deep down that that would be pointless.

The Colonel's words before everything seemed to collapse, filled her head.

" _The only reason I made it this far is because you were beside me."_

And then he kissed her.

The two of them had awaited that moment for the longest time, and when they finally got it...the circumstances were devastating. If Mustang had really died after that...would he of had closure? Did he only give in to his feelings because he assumed he was as good as dead?

The real reason, though? In that moment, the Colonel _did_ think he was going to die, he was all but certain of it, and he didn't want to leave this earth without letting Riza know what she meant to him. Mere words would never be enough to describe it.

Riza knew all of that.

However, the Colonel didn't die that day. Instead, he was dying a slow and painful death over the course of a year. Everyone that cared about him have to see him deteriorate more and more each day. They all had a year to dwell on it. Dwell on what would never be.

Falling harder for one another now was out of the question, so Mustang did what he did best, he put up walls and tried to act as if none of their feelings were acknowledged. But, it was already too late.

Riza had fallen for the Colonel long ago.

Feeling something on her legs, she was snapped from her thoughts. She peered down to see Hayate trying to climb her like a tree. The little guy wanted to be held. Riza gave the dog a fair amount of attention, but she was careful not to make it too much. She didn't want him to become soft.

But she just couldn't resist that floppy-eared stare.

Riza smiled warmly and picked up Hayate. The puppy immediately went to lick her face, once he had, he pulled back and looked at his master, a puzzled look on his face. A faint bark left his little mouth as if to ask, 'what's wrong?'.

Riza was crying.

 _He_ was the only one that could make her cry like this. The Colonel's well-being was all she had concerned herself for for years, and the fact that it could all come crashing down, killed her. It will have meant she _failed_ him. She wouldn't of kept him safe like she had promised.

Riza wiped her eyes and nuzzled Hayate, patting his head and put him back on the floor.

All she could do now was hope that Elric boys would find a means to save their Colonel— _her_ Colonel's—life, and protect him from anything she could until that happened. To take care of him by making sure he took care of himself.

The wine wasn't doing anything for her right now, so she decided that maybe a hot shower would make her feel better. So she made her way to her bathroom and ran the shower until the water was the heat she wanted. After removing her clothes she hopped inside and closed the curtain. The hot water felt amazing on her skin.

She was just fine. Things were going to be just fine.

Then Riza sat on the floor of the shower and sobbed.

There had to be a transmutation out there. Just _one_ that would be capable of saving Colonel Mustang's life before the year was up. And Edward and Alphonse weren't going to stop until they found out exactly what that transmutation was.

It was just an injured muscle really, wasn't it?

But was that the truth? Was his heart damaged or was it forever damaged, irreversibly because the Colonel had performed human transmutation ?

All the boys had right now were far too many questions and no answers to speak of.

Edward and Alphonse scoured every single medical book they could find in that library, ones that used alchemy and ones that didn't. There had to me a way. There had to be _something_ they could do!

So far though, all they managed to get their hands on were thick books filled with pointless medical jargon that had nothing to do with what they were dealing with. Edward found himself wondering if anyone really understood all this drivel.

One thing that was on Ed's side, however, was the fact that he did know a little medicinal alchemy. He had far from mastered it, but he could use it to a certain extent, and that had to mean something in he and Mustang's favors.

Reversing a soul's impending death. Was it something that could even be done?

The use of a Philosopher's Stone was out of the question. That damn rock was the reason they were in this shit situation in the first place.

No, there _had_ to be a way to stop Mustang from dying, if not that then at least something to slow this disease or whatever it is down. Buy them some more time.

Did taking on this challenge mean challenging Truth? Ed wasn't even sure what the hell Truth even was. He certainly wasn't human. Was he a god?

Either way, what Truth was was irrelevant right now. Why did he even give the Colonel a year to say goodbye in the first place? Was he being generous by not taking him away right then and there, or was it some sick way for him to taunt them all. Make them all suffer watching Mustang slowly fade. As relieved Edward was that Mustang _wasn't_ taken straight away, he couldn't help but be concerned with Truth's ultimate motive.

"Brother!" Alphonse shouted loudly, scaring the hell out of his older brother, but thankfully shaking him out of his own head.

Ed rushed to the table where Al sat. "Did you find something good?"

"Uh-huh!" Al answered cheerfully, pushing a stack of books closer to Ed. "There are all these books about a brilliant doctor named Douglas Lee. It's said that he's vastly experienced in treating ailments and diseases in cardiology. There's even a couple instances of him curing a patient's _cancer_."

Edward's head snapped up from the books to look at his brother. "Are you serious?" He asked in disbelief. "That's incredible. So he's...cured people of heart disease basically?"

Al nodded happily, opening a book to a page that sang the doctor's praises. "Yeah! In this book alone it depicts _three_ different cases that he was able to heal. There are even more in the other ones. I really think this is the answer we've been looking for, Brother."

Edward's demeanor fell unexpectedly. "But..." he started sadly, "the Colonel doesn't technically have heart disease. Truth wounded his heart to punish him for using human transmutation..." Ed brought a hand to cover his face, "on me."

"You're right, Brother. But who's to say that what Truth did to the Colonel has no way to be cured? Even so, it's worth at least checking out, right?" Alphonse asked.

Edward shook away his nerves and straightened his posture, a confident grin spreading on his face. "of course it is, Al. Now, let's go and pay this Doctor Lee a little visit. Do the books mention where he lives?"

Al opened another book and flipped the pages, stopping on a page with a map and pointing on it with his leather glove. "Looks like it's just a small village to the north called Dunhurst."

Edward was up in a flash and sliding on his red jacket. "Then we're on the next train to Dunhurst then! Come on, Alphonse!" Strutting out of the library.

Alphonse giggled to himself. "You've got it, Brother!"

 _Finally! A lead! Maybe they would find a way to save the Colonel after all._

General Armstrong was storming her way down the hall of Central. Icy blue eyes dead ahead and knowing who she was looking for. Every soldier that she walked passed stopped to salute her, but she didn't even acknowledge them, she just remained stone-faced.

Eventually she arrived to her destination. The infirmary. Once she was there, she didn't even knock before she entered the room, she just opened the door impatiently.

"Doctor Evans." the General said coldly, pushing the door closed behind her.

Evans looked up to her sudden appearance and removed his glasses. "General Armstrong." He replied, slightly confused. "What brings you to the infirmary? Feeling alright, I hope."

"Save it." the blonde said, just barely not cutting him off. "I want a copy of Roy Mustang's medical file."

Evans' eyes narrowed. "What? Why?"

Armstrong sighed loudly in annoyance and rolled her eyes. "That isn't any business of yours. I want that file in my hands in the next ten seconds." She demanded, holding out her hand.

Evans sighed nervously and stood from his rolling chair. "I'm sorry, General. I can't do that. I have to abide by the doctor/patient confidentiality laws. I can only release that information if Colonel Mustang personally requests it."

Before he knew what was happening, Evans felt his neck being grabbed and squeezed, choked noises leaving his mouth.

Armstrong still held her icy glare, even as she attacked the doctor. "I don't give a shit about any of those laws, or any oaths you've taken. I am your General and you are going to hand over his file, _right now_."

Evans felt his consciousness slipping. "I can't! I'm sorry but I just can't!" His answer treating him to an even tighter squeeze on the throat. His face was turning a deep shade of red, almost purple.

Next thing Armstrong felt was her being pulled off of the doctor by a brute force.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" A booming voice called out.

Armstrong turned around once she was released and saw her younger brother, Alex Louise, standing before her.

"Fall in line, Major." She said to him, straightening her jacket out.

"Right back at you." Alex retorted looking back to the doctor. "I apologize for my sister's rash actions Dr. Evans. I'll leave you to your patients." He said kindly, leading his sister out of the room.

That was the thing about Major Armstrong, he was a massive and brutish fellow, but he had a heart of gold. Being the Strong Arm Alchemist, he had been in his share of fights, but never to one that didn't thoroughly deserved it. Alex's sister being his polar opposite in every way.

"Would you mind telling me why I just found you choking out the finest doctor in Central?" He asked his sister, moving in front of the door so she couldn't make her way back inside.

General Armstrong just scowled at him. "You shouldn't have interfered, little brother. Believe it or not, I have a reason to be taking such measures."

"Which are?" He asked, unconvinced.

The General narrowed her eyes condescendingly at her brother. "I have no obligation to share that information with you."

Alex shook his head and sighed heavily. "It's all just a little strange. Why name Mustang as Fuhrer and then demand his private medical folder behind his back?"

"What's so strange about it? I just wanted to make sure he was physically and mentally able to handle being Fuhrer at the moment. There wasn't any time before now to handle it. We needed a Fuhrer as soon as we could get one." She answered.

Alex still looked perplexed. "You know was well as I do that Mustang almost always has a clean bill of health. The only time it takes a nosedive is when he goes too far on a drinking binge. Aside from that, he's the healthiest person I've ever met."

"Doesn't seem to be that way anymore." She commented under her breath.

"What the hell does that even mean, sister?" Alex asked. "Just what is going on here?"

Armstrong rolled her eyes and relented a bit. "Mustang is hiding something. I'm sure of it."

Alex took a stunned step back. Usually, when his sister had suspicions like this, more often than not, she was correct. She was hard to the core, but stunningly intuitive.

"What makes you say that?" He asked her.\

Armstrong looked around to make sure no one could hear her and lowered her voice a little bit. "When I called Mustang into my office to give him the news about being Fuhrer...he didn't look well."

"How so?"

"For starters his mind was wandering and his complexion was as white as a sheet."

"Maybe he just caught a cold or something of the sort." Alex suggested.

Armstrong gave Alex an unamused look."Do you honestly think I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a cold or something more than that?"

"Good point." Alex admitted.

Armstrong sighed in defeat. "Despite what you think, I'm not a heartless monster, Alex. I know my methods are a little unorthodox but they do get results. You know Mustang, if something _were_ in fact wrong with him, he'd never admit it, especially since I just named him Fuhrer."

"Then why _did_ you name him Fuhrer? I thought you couldn't stand him?"

"Mustang may be a pain in the ass but he'd good at what he does. This didn't initially strike me as something he couldn't handle. He wants what's best for Amestris. My feelings have nothing to do with the matter."

Alex nodded. "I understand your concern, I really do. But this is an illegal invasion of privacy. If things really are as bad as you think, then he'll have to tell us what's going on eventually. One way or the other."

Armstrong paused and rolled her eyes again. "One month." She conceded. "I'll give him a month to get his act together. If, by then, he hasn't owned up to what is wrong, then I don't give a damn about laws or courtesy, I'll handle it _my_ way. No questions. No complaints."

With her words, she walked away.

Alex nodded to himself and held back. "Thanks, sis." He said softly.

But his sister's words brought concern to his heart.

 _Just what are you hiding, Mustang?_

 _(The next day)_

Roy found himself sitting at his new desk—the desk of the Fuhrer. All of the paperwork General Armstrong had warned him about was taking forever. It was to be expected. Being Fuhrer had its perks but it didn't change the fact that the boring stuff still needed to be handled.

Roy sat back in his chair, tossing his pen on his desk. A hard sigh left his lungs and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Taking a look at his new office made him feel a little better. It was far bigger than the one he had before and it had everything he could need, including his own restroom and two phones.

But nonetheless, all of this paperwork was a drag.

Why wasn't he thrilled beyond words? After all these years, he had managed to fulfill his lifelong dream. He was _Fuhrer_ Mustang now, but he still found himself unable to fully enjoy it. Despite the fact if he was happy or not, it wasn't going to change his ultimate mission—making Amestris a place of peace, where no one would have to die to war ever again.

That no one would have to live through war. No one would have to watch their comrades die on the battlefield. And most of all, no one would have to experience life _after_ war, and how it inevitably changes you...forever.

Roy just closed his eyes and ran his fingers through his dark hair. So much had changed at the snap of a finger and it was taking him longer than he thought it would to process it. But he had faith in his boys, faith in Edward and Alphonse. If anyone could remedy this situation of his dying—they could. What mattered the most to Roy was the fact both of his boys were alive, and if his own life was the price to be paid...well, there was no question of it.

Reaching into his breast pocket, Roy pulled out a small device. It was small, about the size of one of Jean's lighters. A wire traced from the device and disappeared into Roy's jacket. On the front of it was part of the wire around two small pieces of metal. A small switch sat on the side of it and Roy flipped it.

Immediately, the device began clicking rapidly. Far too fast for comfort.

It was something Doctor Evans had given him a few days prior. It was to keep track of his heart rate and send small shockwaves to his heart to try and regulate it. A node was attached to Roy's chest that was linked to the device. For all he knew, this device was working pretty well, but his heart was still beating far too hard and fast.

The next noise Roy heard was two raps on his door and Riza entering. Quickly, he shoved the device back into his pocket. Riza couldn't hear it, she couldn't hear how bad it was.

Standing, Roy greeted her. "Hello, lieutenant. Thank you for getting her so promptly."

Riza looked around in confusion. "Of course, sir. But I'm a little confused as to why you asked me to meet you in Fuhrer Bradley's office instead of your own."

Roy winced a little bit and braced himself, he knew that this wasn't going to go well in the slightest.

"As you know, Bradley has been missing from Central for some time, and Central can't be without a Fuhrer, or our communications with the other nations would soon descend into chaos, thinking they could strike at a weak moment."

Riza narrowed her eyes, she suddenly felt anxious. "Right...?"

Roy looked Riza square in the face and just said it.

"For that reason, I have been asked to step forward as Fuhrer...and I accepted."

Riza's eyes shot open wide. This had to be some sort of twisted joke or something.

"You can't actually be serious." She said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's just insane! How could you accept this position when you know full well you're—"

"Keep your voice down!" Roy yelled at her firmly, cutting her off. "I know a lot has been going on but I am still your superior and you will show me the proper respect."

Riza closed her eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to cool her head a little. "My apologies, sir. I just cannot comprehend why you would accept such a strenuous position in your state."

Roy lowered his voice and tried to relax a little as well. He then looked to her with sad eyes. "Because it's my _dream_ , Hawkeye."

"And I realize that, sir, but this position is only going to cause you more stress and put you at risk, and that's the last thing you need right now." She told him, walking closer to him.

Roy felt a flicker of aggravation. "I'm not helpless, lieutenant. I know that my...'condition' is serious, but I can handle this. The people of this nation need a decent man to serve as Fuhrer, one that can actually change things around here. And I fully intend to do that."

Riza shook her head slightly, suddenly feeling breathless. "It's just so risky, sir."

"And it's a risk I'm willing to take." Roy responded coldly, looking away from her now.

Riza felt tears beginning to sting her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Why do you insist on making things harder for yourself?" she asked. "You're just being wreckless."

"I can handle it." Roy said once more. "I don't care what happens to me when it comes down to it. My country's well-being and safety is far more important to me."

Riza was shaking now, tears just begging to be freed from her eyes. "You may not care what happens to you, but I do! Edward, Alphonse and all your men do!"

Roy was getting more angry by the second. "Riza, stop it!" He yelled, slamming his hands down hard on his desk. He'd wanted to avoid using her first name anymore, but this was escalating far too much and he needed her to know he was serious.

Riza stormed to the desk and answered his slam with her own. "No, _you_ stop it! Stop acting like your life isn't important! You mean as much to us as we do to you!" She yelled back.

Roy felt a sharp pain in his chest and let out a pained noise. He needed to calm down. Getting angry always made the pain worse. Roy swallowed and it was apparent he was trying to calm his nerves. "Lieutenant..." he said, forcing his voice to be steady, "I don't..."

Riza narrowed her eyes, seeing Roy grabbing his chest and now using the desk to held him stay upright. The pain in his face crushed her. Maybe she had gone too far. "Sir..?" She asked with concern.

A rapid clicking quickly filled the room. Riza looked around the room to see the source of the noise. Roy had quickly pulled away and turned toward the window, away from her. It was then she realized the clicking sound was coming from Roy.

"What's that noise?" She asked, approaching him cautiously.

Roy didn't look in her direction. "It isn't anything."

Riza didn't answer or respond. She just walked up to him and gently reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the small metal object. Roy didn't bother trying to stop her, he knew it would be pointless to fight her.

Riza ran her fingers over the small thing and traced her fingers along the shiny wire and found it disappeared into Roy's shirt. "What is this?" She asked.

Roy let out a sharp exhale. "It's a device Dr. Evans gave me that keeps track of my heart rate and tries to steady it with shocks if it gets out of control." He explained. "I thought I had turned it off before you came in."

Riza looked at him with a stunned face and then back to the device. "You mean...your heart is beating _that_ fast?"

Roy nodded and kept his gaze out the window. "Yeah." Then his eyes closed tightly and grunted breathlessly. Pained panting left his lips.

Riza couldn't take this, she couldn't stand seeing him suffer this way. Wordlessly, she took her hand and brought it to Roy's chest and began to rub small circles on it gently to soothe him. She could feel his heart pounding. The device wasn't wrong, it was like his heart was seizing, like a beast desperately trying to break free from it's cage.

Roy finally looked at her, her touch felt nice. The pain was fading a little, and he felt a little more relaxed. His breathing was still a little harsh, but the more she rubbed his chest, the more at ease he felt.

"It's okay, sir." Riza said to him. "I'm sorry. Just try and relax, okay?"

In that moment, Roy considered giving in to it all. Letting her soothe him, wanting to kiss her, wanting to love her. But the fact remained that he was going to die and he couldn't take the chance of himself to get closer to her, only to break her heart later.

Roy took her hand and removed it from him and took a step back. "Stop, please." He said softly, the regret and guilt in his voice was obvious. "I'm fine. It's passed."

Riza knew that he was lying to her. She could see the pain on his face.

"You're excused, lieutenant." Roy said coldly, turning away from her and back to the window.

Riza blinked tears from her eyes and bit her lip, saluting pathetically. "Yes sir."

And then she left.

Once Roy heard the door close, he turned to look at it, considering for brief moment going after her. But the thought was forced away when he felt another surge in his chest. With one hand he grabbed his chest and the other fought to hold him upwards again.

"I'm sorry, Riza." He said sadly, looking downwards.

"It's better this way."


	17. Chapter 17 - Smile

**Chapter 3**

 **Smile**

Edward hadn't been on a train since the incident a month ago. All of those lives that were lost that day because he couldn't summon the strength to stop the train from derailing. As upset as he was about Colonel Mustang, the deaths of those people still haunted him. Alphonse tried talking to him about it, but he just didn't understand. Sure, Greed was under the influence of the Philosopher's Stone when he caused the train to go off track, but the fact still remained that _he_ was the one that couldn't save everyone.

Only himself and Mustang walked away from the wreckage that day.

Whether or not he could call his feelings about the train a 'phobia' or not, the point of it was, he had to ride it. There wasn't a choice in the matter. He'd overcome this fear if it meant finding a solution to save his colonel...

His father.

While waiting on the train's platform, Alphonse could sense Edward's uneasiness. "Are you okay over there, Brother?" He asked in an understanding voice. Edward told him all about that horrible day, and he honestly couldn't blame Ed for his freaked out demeanor.

The train pulled to a loud, screeching halt in front of the boys. This was it.

"Yeah." Edward answered, closing his eyes with a hard sigh. "I'm going to have to get situated with this again eventually anyway. Better now than later. It's...just going to take me a second, okay?"

"I'm right here, Ed. I'm not going anywhere without you. We have a few minutes to board. Take all the time you need." Alphonse assured him.

Edward let out a small chuckle and stepped in front of the doors, looking back to Al for a moment. "I'm glad you're here with me, Al." He said. "I couldn't imagine doing all of this alone."

And with that, Edward walked confidently onto the train.

Although Alphonse didn't _technically_ have a face, he still somehow felt himself smiling.

"Anytime, Brother." He said to himself and followed Ed onto the train.

Luckily for the boys, Dunhurst was a pretty small town and not a whole lot of people were on the train to go there. This made Edward feel a lot better. Crowded trains were something he wanted to avoid if it were at all possible.

After a few moments, the train's whistle shouted out loudly, and they were on their way.

A couple of minutes into the ride, Ed looked over to his little brother and noticed him shifting anxiously. Was he nervous about being on the train too?

No, that didn't make any sense. Alphonse wasn't with him and Mustang when they were on that mission. So what was it?

"Something on your mind, Al?" Ed asked, resting his elbow on the edge of the window next to him.

"Uh...well..." Al began nervously, "there's something I...'forgot' to tell you about Doctor Lee." He finally spit out, rubbing his leather gloves against one another, not even attempting to make eye contact wit Edward.

Edward felt his body perk up a little bit, so he sat up in his seat, taking his arm off of the window. "And what's that?" he asked, guarded. It was rare when Al would hide something from him, it was always the other way around. Suddenly, Al's nerves were contagious.

Alphonse let out a nervous laugh. "Well...what I didn't mention was that...Doctor Lee is... _kinda_ an Ishvalan."

Edward felt his mouth go agape. " _What_!? How could you of left something that important out!?" He yelled. "Ishvalans loathe Alchemists! There's no way in hell he's going to help us!"

Not to mention that the citizens of Ishval were the cause of many soldier's nightmares—Roy Mustang included.

On the other hand, however, not all Ishvalans were that way, and Edward knew that deep down. Scar was the exception, maybe the only one there even was. Even then, it took Scar a while to even come around, and he still felt they were still far from friends, but he wasn't a threat to them or Alchemists anymore.

"I know, I know! I'm sorry!" Al said quickly, raising his hands in defense. "I shouldn't of hid it the way I did. But this all occurred to me. Maybe we could...disguise you as an Ishvalan."

Edward opened his mouth to protest, but no words to fight him on it came out. "That...may actually work. And we would only need to disguise me, at least for now."

"Exactly!" Alphonse answered in a chipper voice.

Edward felt himself smiling. "Hey, this might actually be fun!"

"I just wonder if your height might give you away?" Al _asked_ quizzically.

" **DON'T CALL ME SO TINY I'D FIT IN YOUR POCKET!"** Edward screamed at his baby brother, waving his arms around like a crazy person.

Alphonse busted out in roaring laughter. "Hahahaha! I'm sorry, Brother, I just couldn't resist!"

Once Edward calmed down he grinned at his brother playfully, flicking the top of his steel helmet and turning his gaze out to the passing fields beside him. "We're even." He said. "And Al?" He went on.

"Yes, Brother?"

"Thanks."

XXXX

A few hours later, the Elric boys made it to the homey town of Dunhurst safely. It was ironically the smoothest train ride Edward had ever remembered having. But maybe it was because Al was there to distract him and keep him company. Alphonse seemed to have that effect on him. Often it was only Alphonse that could make him feel at ease. Now, there was another person that made him feel the same way...

Edward looked up to the sky, shielding his eyes from the bright sun. It was actually a beautiful day, and it was still early yet. This was the perfect time to pay this Doctor Lee a friendly, and hopefully successful, visit.

Alphonse had a book in his hands, scouring it for information. "Hmmm, looks like Lee's house is a couple of blocks in that direction." He said, pointing in front of them.

"Excellent!" Edward said with a clap. "But first? My clever disguise!"

It was then, looking around that the boys noticed that Alphonse in particular was getting odd looks from the townsfolk.

"Sure you don't want me to whip you up a disguise too?" Edward asked quietly, cupping a hand around his mouth.

Alphonse just waved it off. "Nah, I'm good. For all these people know I'm just a guy in some armor...a _tall_ guy in armor." He giggled.

Edward felt his eye twitch in annoyance. He couldn't throw a hissy fit here in front of all these people, and Alphonse _knew_ that. " ** _Not_** _._ ** _Here_** _._ ** _Alphonse_** _._ " He said, biting back his rage, his voice was so deep and angry, he almost sounded possessed again. "You big, metal jerk-face."

Alphonse patted his brother on the back. "Look, let's go over there behind those bushes to get you all squared away."

"Fine. Whatever." Edward replied, pouting as he often did when someone made fun of him for his...'struggles' with his height.

Walking over to the bushes, Edward noticed how relaxing and serene this town was. It was covered in small fields of plains and little fishing ponds here and there. Small shops where people sold their craft were scattered about. This place was all around peaceful. Towns like this were Ed's favorite. He enjoyed the quiet of it that places like Central just didn't seem to have. A nap in one of the meadows was definitely something he had in his future here.

"Wow, Alphonse, this place is pretty incredible. Seems like these people don't have a care in the world." Edward observed.

"I agree, but Brother, I think the sooner we get you into your disguise, the better." Alphonse warned him, he was already starting to notice people staring and whispering about them.

This snapped Ed right out of his daze. "Crap, you're right." The two then took to a couple of tall bushes that would obscure them.

Ed excitedly rubbed his hands together. "Okay! Time to go Ishvalan!" 

"Don't go overboard, Ed. All you need to do right now is make your hair white and your eyes red, then darken your skin a little bit. No crazy hats or mustaches or anything like that." Al told him. He knew how often ed tended to take things and just run with them. Sense making or not.

Ed rolled his eyes. "I know what Ishvalans look like, Al." Edward then clapped is hands together and touched his hair and face, blue light faintly flickering with each detail he transmuted.

Once he was done he heard Alphonse snickering.

"What? What are you laughing at?" Edward asked, peering down to a puddle that was next to them. When he saw his reflection, he let out a frightened yelp. He had gotten the skin tone perfect, but in his excitement he mixed up his hair and eye colors, so now he was a ginger with white eyes.

"I thought you knew what Ishvalans looked like, Brother." Al said, cracking up. "You look like some little weird imp or something."

"Just shut your mouth!" Edward blushed in embarrassment and clapped two more times, this time nailing the colors perfectly.

"There you go." Al praised him, yet still giggling. "I'm going to have nightmares about that look from before."

Edward's eye twitched again. "You're really in rare form today aren't you?"

Alphonse got his composure back and settled. "I'm sorry. You really do look perfect now." And it was the truth.

After his Ishval makeover, Edward went to slide his red coat back over his black clothes, but he felt Al grab his arm.

"I don't think that's a good idea, if you're going to wear that alchemist jacket, what was the point of the disguise?"

Grumbling, Ed removed his coat. "Damn it, you have a point." He lifted Al's helmet and threw the coat inside.

Alphonse sputtered for a moment. "Brother, what do you think you're doing!?"

"Well, I can't wear it and I'm sure as hell not going to leave it behind. You're empty in there anyways, what's the big deal?"

"I'm not a suitcase!" Al whined.

"And _I'm_ not an _imp_." Edward retorted. There...was nothing Al could say back to that, for the first time in a while Brother had made an amazing point. Holding his coat for Ed was the least he could do for him after teasing him so relentlessly.

"I'll hold your coat, just quit climbing on me!" Al complained. Once Ed was off of his helmet, Al's tone shifted a little darker. "I wonder what Colonel Mustang would think if he saw you like this."

Ed smirked, wiping his nose in a snarky manner. "I bet he'd say I'm the coolest looking Ishvalan he's ever seen." Ed then winked at Alphonse.

Deciding to add one more touch, Edward pulled his hair from his braid and just tied it into a regular ponytail—the lower the profile the better. Once he was done, he brought a finger to his chin in thought.

"Now what do we do about _you_ , little brother?" he asked.

"I'll stay by the side of the house and listen, no need to worry about me." Al assured him. "For a bulky suit of armor I can hear from a surprisingly far range."

Ed pumped a fist in triumph. "Then we're all set! Next stop, Doctor Lee's house!"

XXXX

It was time for Roy's next visit to Doctor Evans. God, how he hated them. Words couldn't even describe how much he was dreading this, but he _had_ to do it—against his will or not. In all honesty, he really didn't hate Evans. Pierce was a really kind man and really seemed to know his stuff. He could perform medicinal alchemy to a certain extent, and handle all the other things all other non-alchemist doctors could.

When it came down to it, he really did trust the man.

What was bothering Roy most right now was the fact he was worried Evans would tell him that his condition has worsened. Although he was prepared for it, hell even expecting it, it still made him fearful. More than that though, he was extremely paranoid that news of his illness would get out and he would be renounced as Fuhrer and be treated as if he were feeble.

God, he just didn't want to be useless.

Useless, the word alone was enough to make him cringe.

Pierce Evans was a trustworthy doctor. Roy felt fairly certain that he wouldn't leak out what was going on to anyone, but he still had his suspicions. But Evans was very bright, Roy was only 28 and he goes on a mission and comes back with a heart that's severely damaged, possibly beyond repair. It wasn't normal, and he knew that.

Once Roy had made it to the infirmary, he reluctantly opened the door.

Evans smiled when he saw his patient. "Welcome back, Mustang, or should I say _Fuhrer_ Mustang?" he said. "Congratulations on your promotion, sir."

Roy didn't seem to be listening, he was walking around the room, looking behind all of the curtains around him. "Thank you." He replied in a stale voice. "Look, we both know the drill by now so let's just get this over with already."

"No one is here except for you and me, Roy." Evans assured him, Roy's paranoia palpable.

Roy stopped looking once he all the curtains were cleared. "Seems that way." He conceded, sitting on the examination table and unbuttoning and removing his navy blue dress shirt. And before he knew it, he was attached to wires upon wires again.

He _hated_ this.

Once Roy was all hooked up, Evans pulled out his stethoscope. "How have you been feeling lately?" He asked, moving the scope to different areas of Roy's chest.

"I've been fine." Roy lied, he knew he was anything but convincing.

Evans took a step back and removed the stethoscope from his ears, crossing his arms. "How have you been feeling _really,_ Roy?"

Roy sighed and shook his head. "My...episodes...seem to be happening a lot more frequently and they're more...intense."

"Have you been using the monitor I gave you?"

"Yes."

"And when you have an episode, what's the readout?" Evans asked.

Roy looked away and closed his eyes. "Roughly 200 to 250 beats per minute."

Evans gasped in horror. "Roy, those aren't 'episodes' those sound like severe heart attacks to me." he watched Roy, who made no motion to move or speak. "But that isn't what it is, is it?"

Roy took a long paused before he spoke again. Nice as Evans was, there was no way he was going to tell him what was really going on. "Evans...I know that the health of your patients is your top priority, but I'm not obligated or even permitted to discuss with you what happened. It's my heart and I'll deal with it. Only reason I'm here is because Lieutenant Hawkeye gave me no other choice."

Evans shook his head. "You say it's your heart, but your heart in particular is the worse case I've seen in all my years of medicine. I don't know how you're even alive, much less even walking around. I highly recommend that you check yourself into the hospital immediately. You need to be in intensive care."

Roy just scoffed. "I've just been named Fuhrer after an entire life of fighting for it. This isn't something I'm willing to give up so easily. And I won't give it up. Just prescribe me something for the pain and the...hammering." he said. "The pounding is so loud and fast I can't sleep at night."

"I can do that for you, Roy. But it wouldn't change anything. It'd simply be a temporary measure. Once you built up a tolerance to the medicine, you'll be in far worse pain than you are now. It isn't wise."

Roy looked at the doctor with serious eyes—desperate eyes. "Pierce, I am _begging_ you to do this for me. Once all this madness with Bradley missing is settled, I'll check myself into I.C.U."

"It could be too late by then." Evans warned him. "What about the Elric boys, and all of your men? Would they approve of this madness?"

Roy shook his head, defeated. "No, of course not. They'd tell me I'm as crazy as you're saying. But...I have to look out for them, for all the people of Amestris." He finally brought himself to look the doctor in the face. "I can really change things, Pierce. I know I can. I just don't want this to be taken from me before I've even had a chance to try."

Evans sighed and patted Roy on the shoulder. "Fine, Roy. But I've given you my warning. I'll write you some prescriptions, but it'll only end up hurting you in the end. I'm going to go and get your meds. Wait here." And then he left the room, but stopped and turned to Roy. "Just think about what I said okay?" And then he was gone.

Roy sighed and fell all the way back on the table. Try as he might, he couldn't ignore the constant and rapid beeping of the heart monitor. He brought his hand to his chest and felt all the wires he was attached to. How did everything come to this?

In that moment, he genuinely considered just throwing in the towel and checking himself into intensive care. But he soon shook those thoughts away, and ripped the wires from his defined chest.

After he was properly dressed again and got his medicine, he left Central and headed for his car. He knew where he had to go. There was only one person he could talk to about all this.

Where he was, no one else was there at the moment, so he left his car and walked through a small way of grass until he was where he needed to be.

"Hey, Maes." Roy said to his best friend's gravestone. "I'm sorry I haven't been to see you for a few weeks. A lot has happened." he said. " _Really_ bad things happened." He corrected himself. "Fullmetal...he...took his own life. Not out of selfishness, of course, he did it to try and save _my_ life. How backwards is that?"

Roy had to clear his throat before he could continue. "As you can probably imagine, I didn't take the news well, and I refused to accept that that was the way things were. So I...did something _really_ smart." He said sarcastically. "I actually performed human transmutation to bring him back."

After those words, Roy found himself chuckling. "Even from the grave I can still feel your urge to scream at me. 'Damn it, Roy! How could you do something so reckless!? You know what those Elric boys went through when they tried it!'" Roy said, imitating his best friend.

"But..." He went on back in his own voice. "I know if Elysia's life was the one on the line, you would have done exactly the same thing. It's just...what you do for your kid, ya know?"

As much as he was fighting it this entire time, Roy's voice finally began to break. "But losing Edward...I just couldn't handle it. Losing you, Maes...I didn't think I'd survive it. If I were to lose Edward too...I _know_ I wouldn't survive it. If you were just _here_ , damn it..."

Tears were now streaking Roy's face and a sob left his mouth. "...you could tell me what to do now, because I have no damned idea. I'm going to have to leave my sons after a year, and as much as I miss you Maes, I'm not ready to join you just yet. I need more time with them, more time with Riza. I don't want those boys to lose a third parent. So, just tell me what to do, Maes. Please, just tell me what to do!" he cried, hitting his knees. He fell forward on the grass, weeping. "I can't handle this alone, so please just help me!"

"You're not alone, sir." A sudden voice said to him.

Roy looked over to see Riza standing there.

"You never were." She went on.

Roy quickly wiped his eyes and turned away from her.

"Leave now, lieutenant." Roy said forcefully.

Riza remained still and shook her head. "No."

Roy growled, still turned away. "I said to leave! That's an order!"

Riza walked closer to him and looked down to him. "I won't." She said. "You may be okay trying to handle all of this by yourself, but I'm not okay watching it."

Roy looked to Mae's tombstone and shook his head. "I'd give everything I have just to talk to him one more time." He said. "I just want to know what he'd say."

Riza sat down beside her superior. "I know exactly what he would say, and deep down I think you know what he'd say too."

This finally got Roy to look at her, curious.

"He would tell you...that you did the right thing." Riza told him.

And she smiled.

Tears fell hard from Roy's eyes and he just hugged Riza tight. "I'm sorry." he whispered to her. "I'm so sorry for everything. Forgive me."

Riza returned his embrace. "I forgive you, sir..."

A little while later, Roy pulled away, focusing on Maes again. "I miss him." He said. "I miss him so damn much."

Riza nodded, putting her arm around him. "I know. But I know, wherever he is now, he's looking out for you. Who knows, maybe he's your guardian angel."

"Maybe." He answered. Religion wasn't something Roy ever considered, but he couldn't help but feel soothed by the thought that Maes was watching over him. "Thank you, lieutenant. Thank you for being here."

"Always." She answered. Hugging him again. Neither of them knew if Maes really _was_ out there somewhere, watching over them, but if he was...

He'd be smiling.

XXXX

Edward felt a wave of nervousness as he approached Doctor Lee's house. So much was riding on this, the Colonel's _life_ depended on this. He felt himself peering to the side of the building where Alphonse was hiding within earshot. The large suit of armor gave him a confident thumbs up as if to say, 'you can do this, Brother.'

As Edward reached to knock on the door he felt himself doubting his disguise. Would it be enough to get this man to hear him out and help him? Of all that he just couldn't be sure, but hell, it was worth a try.

 _Just please let this disguise work._

Only a few moments passed after Ed had knocked before the man answered the door. The man was tall, looking like he was in his late 50s or so. I big white, bushy beard to match his shoulder length white hair on his head. Crimson eyes that somehow looked threatening and gentle at the same time.

It was all enough to through Edward off a little bit. In his mind, this guy kind of looked like some sort of yeti man, but the boy figured it was in his best interest to keep all that information to himself.

"What can I do for you, son?" The hairy man asked in a deep, gravelly voice. This did nothing to help Ed not focus on the whole 'yeti' thing.

Edward felt himself glance away for a moment in nervousness. "Um...are you the doctor known as Douglas Lee?"

"I am." Lee answered, a stern look on his face. "May I ask you what brings you to my home?"

Ed cleared his throat and pushed his sudden nausea away and looked to him. "Sure...I uh...heard that you were one of the world's most renown heart doctors there have ever been."

"I wouldn't go that far, but some refer to me as such." Lee responded.

Edward nodded slowly, trying to make sure he chose every word correctly. "W-well, I really need your help, see-"

"My office is closed until Monday, come back then." He interrupted coldly, starting to close the door in Ed's face. But Edward slid his gloved, automail arm into the door-frame.

"Please," the boy said in desperation, "it's for my dad."

Lee just stared down at the boy for a few seconds before he opened the door back up. He then stood aside to allow Edward to enter.

Edward felt his face light up with a smile. "Thank you so much!" And then he entered.

Before he did, he shot Alphonse a cheery look, which he knew his little brother was returning deep inside.

Once inside, Ed noticed the house was very antique looking. Dark, mahogany floors and furniture placed neatly around. An old grandfather clock rested in the corner of the room and pristine carpet lay on the floor.

"Take a seat on the couch." Lee instructed, settling down into an old, brown chair himself across from the boy. "What's your name, son?" He asked, interlacing his fingers. The way he sat and the tone of his voice made him come across as some sort of villain.

Was this really the man that has saved so many lives?

Wait...what was his name? Crap! He was so thrilled about his disguise he didn't think to come up with a name!

Edward scratched the back of his head, clearly flustered. "Ah...it's um..." Looking around the room, Edward fought to see anything that would give him a hint as to what name he should pick. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a poster that read:

 _Every patient is a potential victory_

"It's uh...Vic—Victor." He finally stammered out.

Lee never broke his stone gaze. "I see...'Victor'." There was no amusement in his voice.

"Call me Vic."

Lee closed his eyes for a second. "Okay then, _Vic,_ what is going on? Why did you come to my home and ask me about my studies?"

'Vic's' usually playful expression suddenly turned more somber. "Well...thing is, someone I really care about is...very sick."

"Your dad you mean?"

"Yes, and as far as other doctors go, they give him a year or less to live." 'Vic' answered, looking down sadly to the floor.

Lee nodded. "I see."

"Long story short, it's _my_ fault that he got sick in the first place. So it falls to me to find a way to make him well again."

Lee looked with eyes that seemed to peer into Vic's soul. "What happened to your father exactly?" he asked.

That was the one question 'Vic' hoped the doctor didn't ask, but knew he would. He hedged at this. There was no way that he could tell this man what had really transpired. Ishvalans already hated Alchemists to begin with, and now finding out that one used the ultimate taboo to fit their needs wasn't something that would go over well.

"Like I said, it's a really long story." He felt himself looking away, he was never the best liar.

"Was it equivalent exchange brought down by Truth?" Lee asked, opening his eyes maliciously.

'Vic' gasped aloud. How in the hell did Lee know that? Pointless as he knew it was, he tried to play it off. "Of course not! Who would be dumb enough to try something crazy like that?"

"Well, you and your little brother Alphonse who's hiding at the side of my house, for one. Am I wrong, Edward Elric?"

Edward felt his eyes shoot open in horror and disbelief. "What?" He asked, his breath leaving him. _That_ was why this man was being so frosty to him. "How the hell did you know all this?"

Lee just scoffed in disgust. "Do you take me for a fool? Did you think a pathetic alchemic disguise that would fool me so easily and go unnoticed? Any child could see through that poor imitation."

"Okay! Fine!" Ed exclaimed in frustration, using his alchemy to revert himself back to his true self. "I was desperate." Not long after that, Alphonse was walking inside as well.

All eight feet of him.

"Um...hello mister doctor Lee." The young boy said with a timid wave, joining his older brother on the couch.

"Look," Ed began, "I'm sorry we lied to you, doctor, but I felt I had no other choice. I honestly meant no disrespect."

Lee shook his head in disapproval. "Why would I want to help out alchemists that have performed human transmutation? One doesn't perform something like that without knowing that the price would be steep."

Here the Elric boys were, once again being scolded for making the biggest mistake of their lives. Ed was far beyond sick of being lectured about it. Did people really think that they didn't know all of this already?

But Edward decided to hold his tongue.

"My father...he only used human transmutation to try and save _me_." Ed explained. "I was wounded on the battlefield...fatally, and he basically traded his life for mine."

Lee shrugged. "Then that is his choice and now he has to live with it."

Edward was losing his patience, he could already feel his blood boiling. "I _died_ , sir. He didn't want to lose his son, so he didn't have a choice. Not really!"

"Well then, when he dies, just use human transmutation to bring him back again." Lee said coldly with condescension.

He was _dismissing_ him.

Edward stood so fast that he knocked the lamp on the side table next to him off of the table, the bulb inside making the room a little darker than it already was.

"You listen here you grumpy old bastard!" Ed yelled at the elder. It was then he felt Alphonse grab his arm to hold him back.

"Brother, stop!" Alphonse cried out to him.

The room was dead silent for a few moments that felt like hours. It was soon broken, however, when Lee began to laugh.

"I admire your spirit kid." Lee said, smiling. "You have some determination to go through all of this. Very well. I'll see what I can do about your father." Ed had finally broken the icy man's exterior.

Still, the sudden shift threw him off a little. "Really?" He asked, eyes gleaming hopefully.

Lee nodded. "Yes. But start from the beginning. I need to know exactly what happened...Fullmetal Alchemist."

Edward grinned and nodded, doing what he was asked.

Edward told the doctor everything.

 **XXXX**

 **A/N: Thanks as always for reading. Just wanted to pop in down here to say that, yes, the Vic joke was a reference to Edward's English voice actor, Vic Mignogna. I just thought it would be a cute nod to him and maybe get you guys to chuckle. Until next time all!**


	18. Chapter 18 - Signs

**Chapter 4**

 **Signs**

 _(February)_

Fuhrer Roy Mustang couldn't remember the last time he had felt this fantastic. When was the last time he had felt elation such as this? Far too long. He was Fuhrer now and the pills that Doctor Evans had prescribed him were working wonders. It was like they were miracle drugs or something. All of the pain and burning heaviness in his chest was gone. _Completely._

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the heart monitor Evans made him wear. All the clicks were steady and normal, and the hammering of his pulse had faded away. Right now, he was feeling energized and _finally_ back to his old self.

Once he was ready for work that morning, he threw on his Fuhrer coat and took a look in the mirror. He couldn't help but think he looked damned good. Hair falling flawlessly into place, and he had gotten his complexion back.

Roy Mustang looked healthy again.

Finally ready to face the day ahead, Roy headed out for work. It had seemed that even the weather was on his side today, not to mention the traffic. Sun shining brightly, and few cars on the road. A big smile was plastered on his face as he drove.

Maybe things really would work out. Maybe Edward and Alphonse really _would_ find a means to cure him. He could feel the dark raincloud above his head dissipating.

There was hope for him again.

Today was an important day, not just because he finally felt better, but because today was the day of his first real mission as Fuhrer. It wasn't as exciting as he'd hoped it would be, it was just a routine interrogation, but hey, he had to start somewhere. Plenty of exciting missions awaited him in the future.

But come to think of it, maybe this interrogation wouldn't be as routine as he thought.

The whole reason there needed to be an interrogation in the first place was to find out what happened to ex Fuhrer King Bradley. Precise care would need to go into each and every question he asked because after all...

Roy was the one that had murdered Bradley after all.

At least he hadn't left much of a mess when he did it. Burning someone alive didn't typically leave a lot to be recovered—he had that in his favor at least. There should be no way anyone could connect him to this. All of this happened shortly after Fullmetal had poisoned him and no one but Riza or the proper clearance was allowed into his room. So for all intents and purposes, he was still there when Bradley was murdered. That was his only alibi and, for now at least, it seemed air-tight. Besides, Roy had covered his tracks perfectly, making sure there wasn't anything left of Bradley _to_ find.

Although Bradley had the alias of the homunculus known as Wrath, and Roy had every right to kill him, he would still be scolded, possibly even sent to the gallows if everyone knew that he had taken it upon himself to make that call. Trials still needed to be held for everything. Roy was liked and respected at Central for the most part, but there were still a lot of people that didn't really appreciate him or his ways. You can't just kill the highest ranked soldier in Central without consequences.

Plus it wasn't totally in his favor that he was Fuhrer himself now. If people knew that he had murdered Bradley, there were bound to be people that assume he did it because he wanted to swoop in and steal that title for himself. Whereas most would know he wouldn't want being Fuhrer that way, the fact remained that he had been acting strangely lately. Despite the fact that killing Bradley had nothing to do with it.

But Bradley wasn't even really Bradley, he was Wrath—and boy, did Roy sure bring some down on the bastard.

Once he had made it to work, he made for the interrogation room, having to force a stern look on his peppy face. He needed to look as intimidating as possible right now. Riza and General Armstrong were watching from behind the two-way mirror. It would only be him and the suspect in the room, and no matter what...

He _had_ to make sure this person was cleared.

Roy gave a condescending grin to his suspect. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long— _homunculus_."

The suspect shook their head. "No, no, no, it's totally fine because it's not like I can _do anything about it_!"Greed screamed at him, pulling at the cuff around his wrists. The cuffs were connected to a steel bar on the table, his hands kept far away from one another to keep him from sneaking in a transmutation.

Even though this was all a rouse, Roy couldn't help but be impressed by Greed's acting skills.

"Not so threatening when you don't have access to your homunculus powers, huh?" Roy asked, sitting on the table by Greed.

Greed just returned the smug grin Roy was giving him, shaking his head. "Just hand me a glass of water and I'll already have the upper hand on you/"

Now _that_ was just stone-cold. _Ass._

Roy scoffed. "You think I need my flame alchemy to break you? I'll get my answers, and I have many...methods of doing so." With that he balled his hand into a fist.

"Gonna beat the answers out of me, eh?" Greed asked. "I told you before, when I shot the blond kid and kidnapped him, I was under the influence of the Philosopher's stone that was inside me—just like with your precious Fullmetal."

Roy stood and crossed his arms, looking down to Greed. "Come on, Greed. You know good and well that you could easily fabricate that as an excuse to get you off the hook. We know you and Bradley had some sort of showdown in that cave."

"That bastard _killed_ me, dammit!" Greed shouted. "And nearly succeeded in doing it twice! Sure, I wanted to kill him, but that fucker rotting away in jail for the rest of his life was what he deserved. Killing him would be far too merciful in my opinion."

Roy snorted and shook his head. "You _do_ realize you just gave me a motive for you, right? The man has killed you once, it makes perfect sense that you would want to return the favor."

Greed leaned back and rolled his eyes. "I'm telling you, all I did was fight him. Did I rough the bastard up a little bit? Hell yeah, I did, after all he'd put me and Ling through, but not enough to kill the damn _Fuhrer_! I'm _Greed_ , Mustang! I don't usually tend to kill because it gets me in situations just like _this_!" Greed yelled, pulling at his cuffs again. "I want freedom and to enjoy the finer things in life, besides, do you really think that annoying flea Ling would allow me to use his body to _murder_ someone?"

"Flea? _Really_?" Ling asked inside of Greed's head.

"Quiet!" Greed replied in a firm whisper.

"Dick." Ling added.

"Where's the body then?" Roy asked, getting closer to Greed's face. "There isn't the slightest hint of remains at your last know location."

Greed shook his head. "Do you even listen to yourself? If you can't find anything, maybe the guy isn't dead. Maybe he escaped or you guys just overlooked something. You can't find him, so he may not even be dead."

"We know he's dead because he hasn't reported back in in over a month. Which means that he did in fact get murdered, or enemy territory is holding him captive, and you know better than anyone that taking Bradley down is far from an easy task. Either way, all arrows are pointing to you right now, Greed."

Greed sighed, he was getting sick of explaining this over and over, hoax or not. But he knew this was for he and Ling's own good. "I'll say it again, I didn't kill the Fuhrer. Yes, we fought. Creep even shot me and ran me through, after that...it's blurry. Just ask Fullmetal."

Roy eased off, unfolding his arms. "We've already interrogated Fullmetal, and his story is identical to yours. He insists that neither you or him killed Bradley."

"Perfect!" Greed said, relieved but still annoyed. "Now can you _please_ get me out of these damn cuffs?"

Roy shook his head. "No, not yet. I need to speak with Ling before I can fully release you and drop all charges."

Greed scoffed. "Please. I'm not doing that."

"It wasn't a request, Greed." Roy informed him.

Rolling his eyes once more, Greed decided to just do it. The sooner all this crap was over, the better. "You're a real asshole, you know that?"

"Yes I do. And thank you." Roy answered.

Greed shook his head in aggravation, then closed his eyes focused. A short pained yell escaped him and the vein in his head throbbed. "Ling, I need you to get your ass out here for a minute, but don't get too comfortable because I'll be coming right back."

Ling felt himself smile, even a few minutes back in his own body was awesome. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know it's still technically your turn. I'll make this quick."

"Just play along with Mustang, okay?" Greed warned him. "He's doing this to clear us and him of this. Can't let him spend what time he has left in prison, I mean the guy's already dying."

Ling nodded. "Got it. I understand, you can count on me."

"I'd better be able to, because if I can't then I'll take this body and drive us off a cliff before I let us get locked up."

"I _completely_ believe you." Ling said, Greed was known to fly off the handle and that sounds exactly like something he would do.

Greed's voice turned kind and soft. "Good luck, man."

"Yeah. Thanks." Ling answered, and with that, Greed had completely relinquished control to Ling.

Once Ling was back in control, he was grinning widely. "What's up guys?" He asked, waving at Mustang and the mirror with his fingers. He didn't know who exactly was behind the mirror, but he knew people were there.

"Knock it off!" Roy yelled, hitting the table with his fist. "This isn't a damn game! Do you want to go to jail?"

 _Geez, did Mustang really need to ham it up this much?_

Ling's eye grew wide. "Wow, someone's tightly wound. I'd recommend a nice herbal tea."

"Ling-" Roy began angrily, appearing to try and calm himself, "when Greed fought Bradley, where were you at that time?"

"Where was I?" Ling repeated. "I guess you could call it something of an empty void. Nothingness abound."

"And you were there for how long?"

"Roughly two years." Ling answered, recalling that awful time made him cringe a little bit.

"When you were there, could you see or hear anything that Greed was doing?"

"No." Ling said. "It was like when we switch like now, something was done to us and I was put in something like...stasis I guess you could call it. Normally we're synched, but when that stone was in us, it was like I said...nothingness." A thought then struck Ling. "Come to think of it, I bet it was the same for Greed. It always takes one of us to be in control, but when we were shot with the stone, it was like neither of us was in control. Greed was the one in command when we were shot, so it was his body that was used like a vessel for the stone."

"I see." Roy said, his voice falling a little. This part wasn't part of the ruse. What Ling was saying was the unclouded truth. Roy knew that neither of them murdered Bradley, but he had no idea the toll all of this had taken on them.

"Look," Ling said, "I've been a part of Greed and he's been a part of me for a while now. I know him better than anyone ever could. I don't know what happened exactly, and who killed the Fuhrer, but I assure you, it wasn't Greed."

Roy drew on Ling's words. After a moment, he nodded and waved his hand for Riza to come inside and unlock Ling's handcuffs.

"If we find out you're lying, there's a dark and cold cell waiting for the two of you." Roy told him.

"I know that, that's why I'm not scared."Ling replied.

Once the cuffs were unlocked, Ling twisted his wrists around. "Sweet!" he said in a comical high-pitched, sing-songy voice.

Roy felt himself laugh a little bit. "You're free to leave. Thank you for you and Greed's time." he pinched the bridge of his nose to look annoyed, but underneath it, he smiled slyly at Riza.

Mission complete.

XXXX

A few hours later, after the interrogation, Armstrong strode into the cave base where the fight of Greed and Bradley had taken place. The place where the ex Fuhrer was last seen. Something just didn't add up about this whole thing. Bradley wasn't named Fuhrer for nothing. There was good reason, he was highly intelligent and skilled. No way someone could take him captive. She was beyond certain that the man was dead.

But if somehow he had been taken, he had training that would allow him to leave behind some sort of clue as to who took him and where he was without being noticed.

Everything pointed to Mustang as the killer, it just didn't make sense. She _knew_ it was him. Would he really do something so heinous as to kill the Fuhrer just to take his place? Mustang wasn't that smart, but he certainly wasn't that stupid either. Mustang was always spouting about how he wanted to make Amestris a place of peace, without war or murder, why would he kill in order to do that?

Nothing here added up. Something was wrong.

On the other hand, Roy had been acting very strange and secretive lately. He looked pale and sick. Could he be looking that way because he did murder Bradley?

As she scoured the cave, her boot kicked some snow that was off to the side. There was a small speck of blood on the snow. Somehow the forensic team missed this. Maybe it was because it was so far away from all the charred marks and battle damage on the stone of the floor, a good twenty feet away.

When Armstrong kicked more of the snow away, she noticed that there were very faint remnants of a transmutation circle there. That was where the blood in the snow came from. Snow had blown in over the past month and covered it and washed it mostly away.

Seeing the faded symbols drawn in the circle, she knew these marks were used for one thing and one thing only.

Human transmutation.

What the hell was going on here?

From her jacket, Armstrong removed a cotton swab and a small evidence bag. She rubbed the swab over the blood in order to get a sample, and when she did, she slid it into the plastic bag and sealed it shut. She wasn't sure if anything would be able to be salvaged from this, but it was worth looking into.

Were the scorch marks and the circle somehow connected? If so then, how and why?

Deep down, Armstrong knew what had happened to Bradley and who was to blame but this would seal it.

 _Why Mustang? Why kill Bradley and undo everything you've ever worked for?'_

With her findings in tow, she made he way out of the cold cave. When she saw someone standing there she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Are you following me now or something?" She asked.

"You're my sister." Alex grumbled. "But you're investigating one of my best friends, not to mention the Fuhrer, trying to pin him down for a murder you don't know if he committed."

Armstrong approached her brother and stared him square in the face. "Mustang murdered Bradley, Alex. I know he did."

Alex scoffed. "Nonsense."

"It's the truth." She said coldly. "Whether you decide to accept it or not."

What bothered Alex the most was, he knew she was right. Rarely did his sister make mistakes and if she said she was certain of something this serious, then she was being honest. She wouldn't blindly accuse an innocent man of murder unless there were substantial evidence.

"But _why_?" Alex asked. "It doesn't make sense."

Armstrong pushed passed her brother and began to walk off. "That's what I intend to find out." She said, holding up the bag with the swab inside, still walking away, but she felt Alex take her arm

"You would really send Roy downstream this way?" He asked. "If he did do this, then you know good and well there was a damn good reason. I promise you that."

Armstrong pulled her arm forcefully away from her brother. "Stand. Down." She said firmly with stern eyes.

Then she just walked away.

XXXX

It had been about a month since Edward and Alphonse moved in with Lee. Their training would take time and they didn't have enough money to stay at a hotel for that long. Most of their days were spent studying for the most part.

Lee's work, although groundbreaking, was no simple feat. They needed to account for every minor detail to determine if Roy could even be saved in the first place, and if he could, they needed to make sure the right method was used.

Lee sat back in his chair, dropping his book on the table, a sad look on his face. "Boys..." He said in a somber voice. "There are none of my means that are able to cure your father. I'm sorry."

Edward felt panic fill him. "What? No way, there has to be something we're overlooking!"

"Edward, calm down." Lee told him. "I said there aren't any of _my_ means that can cure him. But I think he can by yours."

"Wait..." Edward said, settling, "you mean alchemy?"

"Precisely." Lee said. "Alchemy got him into this correct?"

"Yeah." Edward replied. "He used dark and taboo alchemy, and now alchemy is punishing him for it. Just like it did for me and Alphonse."

"Hmm..." Lee said. "I can't perform alchemy, but I am well versed on medicinal alchemy, even if I can't use it."

Ed perked up a little. "You are?" He asked hopefully, but the fact still stood that he wasn't good at using medical alchemy at all. He just barely could. Even healing Mustang's shoulder before took a lot out of him. "Do you really think you can help me perfect medicinal alchemy and save our dad?"

Lee smiled and nodded. "Yes, I believe so."

Edward felt his eyes well with something he wasn't used to—happy tears. He hopped across the table and hugged Lee tight he next went and hugged his little brother.

"I can't believe there's a way to save him." Edward said with serenity.

"I know, Brother. It's like a miracle." Alphonse answered.

Edward pulled away and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I know this is going to work because I won't stop until I master the perfect alchemy that saves him."

"Edward," Lee cut in, "I know that you're the Fullmetal Alchemist and that you're very strong, but alchemy like this is very taxing on the user. You have to use it carefully to make sure you don't end up hurting yourself in the process."

"Oh come on! I can handle it! No worries!" Ed said cheerfully.

"Listen to him, Brother." Al told him. "What he's saying is important. I don't want to get the Colonel back just to lose you instead."

Ed sighed, his high fading. "All right, fine. You make a good point." He admitted. "But don't be afraid to push me doctor. I'm tougher than you'd think."

"It isn't about physical strength, son." Lee told him. "You have to make sure you're focused and centered. If you can't do that, then this alchemy is very dangerous. Every move has to be with purpose."

"Fine. I'll master whatever it takes to make this happen. Just tell me what I have to do, and I'll do it." Edward conceded. "I won't stop until I save him."

Lee smiled at Ed warmly. "I admire your resolve, my boy. I can tell you have the determination, that's for sure. And that is what is going to help you."

A serious look found its way to Edward's eyes. "I've encountered Truth, and I can tell you firsthand that he's not someone you mess with. I want to do this the right way, a way where he can't take anything in exchange."

"And that's the way you should approach this." Lee told him, standing and cracking his knuckles. "So, then! Shall we get started?"

Lee knew that all of this was a lengthy process and they had roughly ten months for Edward to master this alchemy, enough to make sure his father didn't die.

Talk about pressure.

But there wasn't a challenge that Edward couldn't handle, he would dive in headfirst until he mastered it. "Absolutely! Let's get busy!"

"Excellent!" Lee said, picking up a stray piece of paper on the table. "For now, we start with the basics—paper-cuts!"

Edward felt himself deflate a little. "Paper-cuts, really? That's it?"

"You have to learn to walk before you can run." Lee said.

Edward grunted in frustration. "Fine. Let's _walk_ then." he said with disappointment. "But who's the one who's going to get the pap-"

Lee grabbed Ed's flesh hand and sliced his pointer finger with the paper he held before Ed could finish the question.

" _Ow_!" Ed whined, sticking his now bleeding finger in his mouth, his blood tasting like metal on his tongue. "That stings you old geezer!"

"Only until you heal it." Lee retorted.

Edward removed his finger from his mouth and watched the small stream of blood trickle down his finger and smirked. "Lesson one has begun."

Hooray for stingy lesson one.

 _Just hang on and wait for me, dad. I'll find a way to make you well again—no, even healthier than you were before._

 _I promise._


	19. Chapter 19 - Pushed to the Limit

**Chapter 5**

 **Pushed to the Limit**

 **A/N: Oh, how I have missed this story and all of you. I'm so happy to be getting back into this. To all of you still reading, I appreciate all of your support. But, it's been long enough so I won't babble on. Let this adventure _finally_ continue! Love you guys!**

 _(March)_

Everything still seemed to be going Roy's way for the most part.

Except for the whole, 'dying' thing.

Even though Roy knew he was living on borrowed time, he still felt himself being hopeful. The trust he had in his boys was vast, and those two sure had the will and determination to save him. It just bothered him that he didn't know where they were. The boys just up and left two months ago before Roy could get briefed. There had to be a reason why they hid it. Maybe they knew that if he did know where they were, they could be targets, or he himself would try to get them to come home for one reason or another. But when it came right down to it...

Roy believed in his boys.

Thankfully, he still felt the medicine Evans gave him working. One of his attacks hadn't flared up since he'd started taking it. Without the pain constantly reminding him of the death that awaited him, it allowed him to let himself get even closer with Riza. There were still feelings deep down inside that he needed to push her away, but it was as if the medicine cleared up his depression too.

Pushing her away was pointless—they both knew that.

So, he had called her to his office, for there was an urgent matter the two needed to discuss.

A little while after he had summoned her, she was knocking on the door and then stepped inside. "You called on me, sir?" She asked with a salute.

"I did." Roy said with a warm smile, coming from behind his desk and walking to her. "I have my first mission for you as Fuhrer."

Riza nodded, there was never a mission she wouldn't accept from him. "Of course. What are your orders?"

"It's a mission in June—late June." He told her.

Riza smiled and narrowed her eyes a bit. "That's around the time of the military ball."

"Exactly." He said. "It's where I'm going to be officially sworn in as Fuhrer, and as you can imagine, I'm going to need a bodyguard there with me."

Riza still wasn't thrilled about Roy being Fuhrer. If she could, she would make him step down immediately. However, he did seem to be back to himself the past couple months.

Roy noticed her face flicker a little when he mentioned his status, but he continued on. "That's where you come in." He said.

"Understood." She said firmly. "I'll be your protective detail for the ball."

"No." Roy said, shaking his head. "I want you to be my _date_ and use all this 'bodyguard' stuff as a cover."

Riza blushed at Roy's bluntness, and she felt him take her hand.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, will you _please_ be my date/bodyguard at the inauguration ball?" he asked, still smiling at her with eyes that made her weak.

Taking a flirtatious step closer to him, she said, "Is that an order?" Her voice was sultry.

Roy's grin widened. "Let's just say it's in your best interest."

Riza shrugged playfully. "Then it looks like my hands are tied."

Roy laughed. "That sounds about right, that's where my dates usually end up." he joked, Riza blushing further, grinning as much as he was.

Riza was giggling. "Then, yes, Fuhrer Mustang. I shall be your date/bodyguard at the ball."

Their moment was ended when the two heard a woman clearing her throat loudly. The two quickly released one another's hands. From where they were standing, no one should have been able to see anything.

"General Armstrong!" Roy said, feigning joy to her appearance. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Am I interrupting something?" She asked, sounding her usually annoyed self.

"Not at all." Riza said with complete composure. No one would have ever suspected that they were up to something. "I'm just to be the Fuhrer's protective detail at his inauguration ball."

"I see." Armstrong replied. "Lieutenant, I need to speak to Mustang alone for a moment."

"Of course." Riza said, saluting the two of them, seeing Roy shoot her a sweet and subtle wink before she made her exit and closing the door.

Roy settled back into his desk chair. "What can I do for you General?"

Armstrong sat in the chair across from him, she was holding what appeared to be more paperwork in her left arm. "I'm here to ask you some questions about King Bradley."

A twinge of fear found its way in the back of Roy's throat. "What about him?" He asked, his voice cracking.

 _Damn it!_

The General's face didn't change, and it was frightening. "I want to know why you burned him to death and then tried to revive him with human transmutation."She said, jumping right to the point.

Damn, this woman didn't mess around.

Roy swallowed anxiously and tried to keep his voice from cracking again. "You think that _I_ murdered Bradley? That's rich. I wasn't even there when he was killed, I was in the hospital fighting off the poison Fullmetal used on me."

"Then how and why was your blood at the scene, Mustang?" She said coldly, sliding the file of papers across the desk to him.

In the file was all the DNA evidence that it was, in fact, Roy's blood at the site where Bradley fell, and also the spot where Roy had performed the ultimate taboo with his blood.

Roy suddenly felt breathless as he peered through the file. "How did you find all this?"He asked, more serious now.

Armstrong crossed her arms. "Because you're shit at covering your tracks, Mustang." She said. "So, you killed the Fuhrer, regretted it and then tried to bring him back with human transmutation?" She asked, "Is that the case? Or did something else occur? How are the two connected?"

Roy sighed and put down the papers. "The events are unrelated, they just happened back to back." He told her. "I didn't perform human transmutation on Bradley."

"Then who was it for?"

Roy looked down with saddened eyes. "Fullmetal."

Armstrong narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Why? Was he hurt or something?"

"No." Roy said firmly, bringing his eyes to hers. "He was dead."

"And you think Bradley had something to do with it?"

"No. I _know_ he did." Roy stated. He had shot Fullmetal and Greed with Philosopher's Stones and made them do his bidding. He used it to manipulate them somehow, the two were just two pieces in his sick game. He made Fullmetal want nothing more than to kill me, and the kid wasn't going to stop until he did." he said sadly. "Then...Fullmetal, he..."

"What did he do, Mustang?" Armstrong asked, sounding almost consoling.

Roy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, he hated reliving this moment, he never wanted to remember it again.

"Roy, it's okay. You can tell me." the General told him. She was using his first name now, and her voice sounded softer than he had ever heard it.

Roy sighed once more. "Fullmetal killed himself."

Armstrong looked baffled. "What? Why would he do that to himself, not to mention Alphonse?"

Roy brought a hand to his head, starting to feel a headache coming on. "Because the kid was terrified he'd succeed in killing me." He explained, staring down at nothing. "He'd said he didn't want to lose anyone else, so before that could happen, he took himself out of the equation."

"And you're certain Bradley was the one who brain-washed him and Greed?"

"Yes." Roy answered. "You know Fullmetal, he wouldn't use suicide as a way to get himself out of a mess so easily, not with so much he's endured and how much he loves his little brother. But he felt is was his only option, he couldn't live with himself if he took a life—much less mine."

Armstrong was still trying to wrap her head around all this. "So Bradley orchestrated all of this."

"Oh no, he isn't just Bradley, General, he's the homunculus known as Wrath."

A startled gasp left the General and her eyes shot open. "Bradley was a homunculus all this time?" She asked, not just to Mustang, but to herself. "How the hell did we miss all of this happening?"

Roy looked at her. "Because he's smart. He knows every pawn on his board and where exactly to move them. He figured that if he found a way to kill me, then I couldn't replace him as Fuhrer. Pretty damn ironic, huh?"

"Tell me what happened once Fullmetal perished." She asked, clearing her throat.

"I lost it." Roy admitted. "I knew that _he_ was the reason that Fullmetal resorted to suicide, so I burned the fucker alive." He voice was dark and deep. "You didn't find any remains of him because I didn't leave any to be found."

"I see." Armstrong said, still seeming to be shocked.

"So what now?" Roy asked, accepting of his fate. "Am I arrested? Sent to hang?"

Armstrong looked him dead in the eyes. "My lips are sealed."

Roy gave the woman a 'yeah right' sort of look. "Really? You're not going to tell anyone?" He said sarcastically. No way she was telling the truth.

Leaning forward, Armstrong had a stern, yet sincere look on her face. "Not only won't I tell anyone...I'm going to help you cover it up."

Roy felt his eyes narrow.

What was her angle?

XXXX

Edward screamed with effort, his blond hair soaked with sweat, using all the power he had. Before him lay the femur bone of an long deceased animal. It was in two halves and Ed was tasked with connecting the two to make them whole again.

"Come on, Edward!" Lee cheered him on."You can do this! Concentrate!"

Edward summoned all the strength to try and fix the bone. Green electricity flickered around his hands and the remnant of the animal. However, after a few seconds, his alchemic light faded and flickered out completely.

Edward fell forward onto his hands and was panting heavily. Alphonse was soon at his side, patting his back.

"Brother! Are you okay?" Alphonse cried. "Maybe we should stop for the day!"

Edward raised a hand, back and chest still heaving, his lungs desperate for more air. "No, I can keep going. I just need to catch my breath."

"No." Lee interjected. "Alphonse is right, we need to wrap things up for the day."

Edward shook his head. "I'm fine you guys." He insisted. "Please, I know I can keep this up."

Lee took a knee to get down to Edward. "Remember what I said, son. This isn't about raw, physical strength. Your mind and body have to be focused and at ease." He said, handing Ed a bottle of water. "Look how far you've come in only a month. You'll get it. These things just take time."

After drinking nearly half of the bottle of water, Ed finally spoke. "I know that you're right. I just don't want to do this any way but perfect."

"And you're making excellent progress. You just can't give up." Lee told him.

Finally breathing easier, Ed smiled and looked to his little brother. "Not in a million years, right Al?"

Alphonse nodded. "Right! We can get you back at it in the morning once you've gotten some rest."

Edward nodded back to him with a smile.

That night Ed was settling into bed. Falling asleep after a day of training was never difficult for him. Lee wasn't lying when he said healing alchemy was hard on the user. Ed seemed to feel more drained than the day before. But he knew he could handle this, he knew he could _do_ this. Failure wasn't an option.

Before he fell asleep, Edward found himself laying in his bed, arms behind his head, just staring at the ceiling in thought.

"Al, can I ask you something?" He said.

"Sure, Brother." Alphonse answered.

"You're...okay with putting off getting our bodies back for this, right?"

"Of course, Brother." Al replied. "Colonel Mustang is like our dad, come think of it, ever since we met him he has. Sure, he can be a little rough around the edges, but so can we. You especially seem close with him."

Edward pouted and blushed. "Do not."

"There isn't anything wrong with that." Al told him. "It isn't a sign of weakness to admit you care about somebody, in fact, I think it's braver to tell people how you really feel about them instead of trying to hide it."

"Maybe." Edward answered. "I guess it's just that...I'm not used to caring about anyone besides you and me. For so many years its just been you and me, and it's hard for me to break that." Edward looked over to his brother. "You know that you're always my top priority, right Al?"

"I do know that, and you're mine too, but now someone we love is in trouble and you have the power to do it. It's fallen to you to save our dad, and I'm here to help you every step of the way."

Edward smiled. "That's the first time you called him 'dad' around me."

"Yeah." Al said with a little embarrassment. "It was the first time it felt right. I mean, think about it. We had no one and nothing, and he took us in and looked after us. Made sure we were clothed and fed. He didn't have to do that, Brother. Come on, we do tend to be...rambunctious. Some more than others." He giggled, looking at Ed.

"Psh, I'm not the one constantly scaring the crap out of people with loud clanging noises."

"Touche, Brother." Al conceded. "Now that we're talking about it, I think that since we lost both of our parents, equivalent exchanged decided to give us another one."

Edward's mind was blown. He had never thought of it that way. Sure, they had lost their mom because they had performed human transmutation, but there was no discernible for them to of lost their father too.

"I never thought of it like that." Edward said.

"It wouldn't be very equivalent if we lost the Colonel now."

"That's right, Al. That's why we can't fail this, why we _won't_ fail this." Ed replied, feeling full of hope. "Well, I'm exhausted. I'm turning in." He turned to his side and waiting for sleep to consume him.

"Sleep well, Brother." Al said.

"And Al?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

If he could, Alphonse would be smiling at his brother. "You're welcome, Brother. I love you."

Edward's response was a loud, obnoxious, clearly fake snore. Alphonse just giggled in response. That was 'Ed' for 'Yeah, yeah I love you too, now enough of this corny crap'.

XXXX

Edward was tossing and turning in his sleep. A nightmare no doubt. Whimpers left his mouth and beads of sweat formed all over his body.

 _In Edward's dream, he saw him, Alphonse and Mustang. They were all happily playing in the snow, much like their snowball they had not that long ago. They were all covered in snow, laughing and carrying on. No worries seemed to plague them._

 _But this moment's reprieve was soon squashed._

 _Roy took a knee and was grabbing his chest, groaning loudly. Edward made a beeline for him. The boy gently lay his Colonel down._

" _Just hang on, okay! I can heal you!" Edward cried, clapping his hands together and pressed them to Roy's chest. Faint green light flickered around the Colonel's body and then abruptly faded, causing Roy to scream out in agony._

 _Edward felt himself panicking. "I'm so sorry! I can do this, I promise! Just stay with me, okay!" Then he closed his eyes and tried to focus and center himself just as Lee had said. And then he tried again, clapping, faint light..._

 _And his father screaming._

 _Edward was feeling his efforts now. He fell forward a bit, fighting to be able to breathe. He held up his shaking hands to look at them. Why wasn't it working!? One hand was all he could muster to put on Roy's chest, but no alchemy came out._

" _Please don't die." Edward said weakly as he kept hitting his hand on his dying father's chest. "Don't leave me."_

 _Suddenly, dark and ominous clouds filled the sky and the heavens seemed to open up to reveal none other than Truth._

" _Year's up, Fullmetal Alchemist.' Truth said with some sort of maniacal enjoyment. Hundreds of tiny black arms shot out of the being and darted for Mustang. They all merged into one and became a large black, pointed mass. This mass then rammed Mustang right through the heart._

 _Roy let out something of a death gurgle, blood spitting from his mouth. "Ed...ward..." He choked out before his body went limp and his eyes vacant._

 _Edward's eyes filled with tears as he watched more hands come and grab Roy, Truth taking him away. Using what little strength he had left, he managed to make it to his feet in a feeble attempt to run after them._

" _No! Please don't take him away! He's my dad!_ _ **Please don't take him away!**_ _" Edward screamed at the top of his lungs. Then he felt someone grab onto him—Al most likely—and pull him back. He fought against it but he was too weak to do it. So he struggled to no avail. "Let go! Don't take him! I have to try again!_ _ **I know I can bring him back!**_ _"_

"Stop, Brother!" He heard Al's voice call out. "You have to snap out of it!"

 _Edward couldn't bring himself to speak anymore, he just let out a loud, mourning roar._

The next thing Edward had realized was he was looking up at Alphonse, who was shaking his shoulders and begging him to wake up. His eyes shot open, they were red and filled to the brim with tears. For a few moments, he was confused, but looking around, he remembered he was in bed at Dr. Lee's house.

"Oh thank goodness you woke up!" Alphonse cried. "I've been trying to wake you for a long time!"

"Wake me up?" Edward asked in confusion, he sighed with relief, bringing his hands to his head. "A dream. It was just a stupid damn dream."

"Are you okay, Brother?" Al asked, uneasiness still hard on his voice.

Edward didn't verbally respond right away, he just clung to Alphonse and held him tight. Alphonse just hugged his brother. He often held Ed when he had bad nightmares like this, he tended to have them a lot. Undoubtedly due to all the trauma they've been forced to take in.

"He died." Ed finally answered in a soft, shuttering voice. "He died right in front of me." He said, burying his head deep into Al's metallic chest armor.

"Dad you mean?"

Edward just replied with a scared whimper.

"Yeah, I know it was. You talk in your sleep sometimes." Al told him.

"What if I fail, Alphonse?" Ed asked, his voice now obvious to the fact that he was crying. "What if I can't save him?"

"You won't fail, Ed. I just know that you won't. You just have to trust me, and yourself."

A small sob was heard from Edward. "I'm scared." He said. "I'm so scared I'm going to fail.'

"I know you are." Al told him, his voice comforting. "But it isn't over yet. You still have some time." He patted his brother's back. "It isn't over yet." He said again. "Would you feel better if you called him?"

Edward shook his head instantly, it was clear this thought had occurred to him before. "No. I can't."

"Why?"

"Because if I call and they tell me that something already happened to him, or if he sounds sick...I just couldn't handle it."

"What if he sounds fine?"

"I can't take that risk." Edward said. "Please don't make me call, Al." he begged.

"Don't worry, I won't. I get what you mean."

Edward broke away from Alphonse and lay back down in his bed, covering his head with his pillow. From underneath it, Alphonse could hear him crying and sniffling.

"Don't let one nightmare set you back, Brother." Alphonse told him. When he heard the door open, he stood to see Lee standing in the doorway, waving him over. The two left the room, leaving the door open a crack so Al could hear if Edward needed him again. The two then went to take a seat at the kitchen table.

"I'd offer you tea, but...given the circumstances..."Lee said uncomfortably.

Alphonse chuckled and rubbed the back of his helmet. "Haha, it'd just be a waste, huh? It's okay, I was never really into tea anyways. I always would drink cocoa before all this."

Lee smiled at the boy. "It's amazing how well you've adapted to your situation. You seem very cheerful despite all of this." The doctor was impressed by the kid.

"That's because I truly believe that Ed and I will get out bodies back someday." Al replied.

Lee nodded warmly. "I believe you will too." He said, clearing his throat before he changed the subject, his voice fell serious. "Does your brother usually have nightmares like that? Although, that seemed more like a night-terror than a nightmare."

"Brother tends to have them when he's under a lot of stress." Al told him.

"I see." Jacob answered. "Has he ever considered medication to help him sleep?"

Alphonse shook his head. "No. Brother hates medicines. He prefers to just power through things on his own."

Lee interlaced his fingers. "Alphonse, your brother has been traumatized. By this, and everything else that's happened in your past."

"Oh..." Alphonse said, his voice falling. "You think that all of these events caused him to have an emotional break?"

"I do." Lee told him. "Night-terrors are very rare. When they _do_ happen, it's usually to infants or those with PTSD. Now, I'm not saying he necessarily _needs_ to be medicated or anything, but he does need to talk to someone."

Alphonse sighed. "That may be difficult. Brother doesn't discuss his feelings with anyone, not even our dad. Only me, and it's rare when he does."

"These night-terrors will only continue to get worse until he learns how to express and accept his feelings." Lee said.

"But if he saves our father, then the nightmares will stop."

Lee shook his head. "No they won't. Even if the source of the stress is resolved, he still experienced it. It's like if someone is mugged in an alleyway and stabbed in the arm. If the culprit is caught and put away, and all the person's belongings are returned, it doesn't make his wounded arm feel better. And they still have the trauma of the encounter."

Doctor Lee had made an excellent point. Edward never had any nightmares back when their mother was alive. Now, he seemed to have them nearly every night.

"What about you, Alphonse?" Lee asked. "You should probably talk to someone too."

Alphonse shook his head. "No. I'm really okay. I'm not under as much stress as Ed is. I long accepted what happened to us, but he doesn't. He thinks all of this is his fault. He takes all the burdens on himself, especially when it comes to me, he refuses to let me take responsibility too. We _both_ tried human transmutation, but Ed doesn't see it that way."

"Edward isn't beyond help. He just has to accept that he needs it." Lee said. A few moments of silence passed before he spoke again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Worst case scenario, let's say Edward fails and your father passes...do you think he would ever...harm himself?" Lee asked, the concern in his voice was clear.

"Do you really mean...do I think Brother would ever commit suicide?" Al asked.

"Yes."

"No." Al said confidently. "Brother would never do something like that. He swore to me years ago that he'd get our bodies back no matter what. Besides, he wouldn't just abandon me like our biological father did. Ed isn't that selfish."

Not long after the boys moved in with Doctor Lee, they had laid everything out on the table for him and told him all about Hohenheim and how he had just up and left them when they were still young boys. As far as those boys were concerned, Roy Mustang was their real dad, even if he wasn't their blood related one. However, the did keep from Lee what their father's name was. Lee may have taken them in to help, but if he found out it was Colonel Mustang, a man that participated in the war between Ishval and Amestris, he could stop helping them.

It wasn't a risk they were willing to take.

Just look at what Mustang was enduring just to make sure that they were safe. They owed him their lives as much as he owed them his own. Mustang knew the risks of when he performed human transmutation, yet he still did it anyway. Would Hohenheim make a sacrifice for them like that?

Absolutely not.

Edward stood by the door, secretly listening in on Alphonse and Lee's conversation. Al wasn't the only one that had decent hearing distance. Hearing Alphonse talk that way made him feel sick to his stomach. His little brother was certain that Edward would never submit to suicide and abandon him, but little did he know, Edward had already done that.

Edward had tried and succeeded in taking his own life.

Despite whatever reasons he had and as good as they were, the fact remained that he still did it. Looking down to his right automail arm, he saw he was shaking. For a second he saw it turn into a blade—they blade he used to kill himself. All this time he had been lying to Alphonse. He'd led him to believe it was Bradley that had taken his life, and sure, on some level he did, but Edward wasn't in the stone's power when he did it. Edward felt awful for keeping this a secret, but you know what?

He'd do it again in a heartbeat.


	20. Chapter 20 - Deceit

**Chapter 6**

 **Deceit**

Roy couldn't believe his ears, he figured he had to be dreaming.

" _You_ are going to help me cover up the fact that I murdered Fuhrer Bradley?" He asked in disbelief. "Somehow I doubt that. Just recently you went on the warpath to find the killer and put their head on a stake. But when you found out who did it, you're going to help them hide it? I find that a little hard to believe."

"I don't blame you for being cautions, Mustang. But I assure you I'm being sincere. I don't lie to people. Lying is ultimately just a huge waste of time."

The woman made a good point. For as long as Roy had known her, she had always been very blunt and straight-forward. People used to complain that she was ofter _too_ honest. But, she was right. Lying was just a waste of time, because, always, the truth will inevitably reveal itself.

Roy just couldn't wrap his head around it. "But _why_?" He asked. "Why in the hell would you help me cover up something like this?" He wanted to believe her more than anything, but he still felt guarded.

Armstrong paused and took a breath. "I'll tell you why, but you have to tell me something in return."

"Being?"

"What's been going on with you lately? You were sick as a dog after your mission was over. I know it wasn't the poison in your blood. And if you killed Bradley as harshly as you claim you did, it's clear the poison wasn't even an issue anymore."

Roy looked down in though, considering whether or not he could trust her with this.

Armstrong could see that he was conflicted and worried. "You're Fuhrer now Roy, that's not easily lost. If you're ill, you would still be Fuhrer."

Roy looked at her face and could just feel that she was being sincere. Not only that, but she _was_ offering her own information in exchange. "I have your word that none of this leaves this room?" he asked.

Armstrong rolled her eyes. "Don't ask stupid questions. What we say will remain between us—no one else."

Roy sat back and closed his eyes for a few seconds, his headache was still bothering him. "You know how if you perform human transmutation that there's a price that has to be paid?"

"Yes. That's why Edward lost his left leg and Alphonse lost his entire body."

"And like I said before, _I_ performed it on Fullmetal." Roy said. "It was all like how he described it when he first got here. I encountered a being that is known only as Truth. Information poured into my head so fast, I thought it was going to explode. I experienced The Gate."

"So something was taken from you." Armstrong said almost making it sound like she was asking him instead of telling him.

"Exactly." Roy said, closing his eyes and reaching into his coat pocket and tossing a small bottle of pills to the General.

When she caught them, she quickly made to read the label, her eyes grew narrow. "These are for people in late stages of heart failure."

Roy just nodded at her. "Yep. I have about eight months left to my name."

Armstrong let out a small gasp. "So...you're..."

"Dying?" Mustang finished for her. "Yes."

"And _that's_ why you've been frequenting the infirmary." She said.

"You knew about that?"

"Please, I'm a lot of things but unobservant isn't one of them." She retorted.

"I know." He said. "But, yes, that's why I keep going there. That crazy old man insists that I need to be in intensive care. I just can't do that, if I only have a short while as Fuhrer, then I'm going to make use of every second."

Armstrong tossed the bottle of pills back to him. "I can't say I wouldn't be doing the same thing if I were in your shoes. I take it that this is the reason why Edward and Alphonse went on that 'secret mission'-it's to find a means to save you."

"I didn't want that, but you know how stubborn he is."

"Like you." Armstrong told him. "If he can't save you then it's going to be the end of him."

Roy closed his eyes and brought his hand to his head again. "Don't say that. I know how emotional he can be. I have to believe that he will succeed, if not for my well-being, then for his."

"He's a very skilled alchemist, so is Alphonse. They'll think of a way."

Roy opened his eyes and leaned back, putting his legs up on his desk. "You're up, General." He told her, gesturing for her to speak.

Armstrong yet again rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to on into full detail with this, Mustang. I'm just going to give you the abridged version. The details aren't important."

"Point taken. Now tell me why you hate Bradley so much that you're going to help me cover up his murder." he said.

"Because...he and I were...'involved' in the past." She said with a heavy sigh.

Roy's legs fell from his desk so fast that he nearly cracked his head against it. "What!?" He asked in pure and utter shock. "You two... _what_!?"

"Are you done?" She asked in annoyance.

Roy sputtered his words. "Y-yeah it's just... _ **what**_!?"

"It was over fifteen years ago. That's a long time, Mustang." She said. "People...change. It was long before he became Fuhrer. I was very young, naive and stupid."

"Wait...but wasn't Bradley married back then?" Roy asked, thinking back.

Armstrong nodded. "Yes he was. It didn't matter to me. I was madly in love with him like an idiot. The man was...among other things...physically abusive."

"Oh..." Roy said softly. He never liked the idea of a woman being harmed. Riza may have been _his_ protector, but if anyone hurt her, he'd light them up as bad as he did Bradley.

Armstrong scoffed. "I don't need your pity, Mustang, so save it. It isn't needed. I've long since gotten over that."

"So...that's why you're glad he's dead?" He asked, feeling like he was missing a piece of a puzzle.

"Hardly." She answered. "The creep may have hit me but I didn't want him to be killed because of it or anything. I'm not that petty."

Roy narrowed his eyes. "Then...why?"

Armstrong tightly closed her eyes. Roy could tell that talking about this was upsetting her. He'd never seen her like this, whatever the reason was, it was clearly very hard for her to express. When she finally opened her mouth, he interrupted her.

"Stop." He said. "You've told me enough, it's okay. Him beating you is reason enough for me to understand why you'd want him gone."

"I'll tell you... just not now. Not _here_." She said, Roy realizing this was the same office that used to be Bradley's—no wonder she was upset. Just being in this room was enough to upset her, and he wasn't going to make her tell him here.

"Sure." He said with a softened voice. "You take all the time you need."

Armstrong rose from the desk and turned to leave. "Excused?" She asked him, trying to sound back to her strict and icy exterior.

Roy nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Yes, you're excused."

Although she didn't turn all the way around, she turned her head slightly. "Thank you." She told him before exiting the office, closing the door behind her.

Roy just smiled warmly. "Likewise."

XXXX

 _(April)_

Riza heard her alarm clock go off with a loud ring. She moaned groggily and turned to make that terrible noise end. Hayate was already awake and waiting by her bed excitedly. She smiled at him and petted his head.

"I know, I know. You're hungry." She said to him.

Pulling herself from her bed, she made her way to the kitchen to get Hayate's usual meal. She needed to shower and dress to get out the door quickly today. She had mountains of paperwork to complete from the interrogation and it was going to take her most of the day. Especially since Roy would be whining about it the whole time. There was so much that they would even need to work through their lunch hours.

Oh, goody.

Once she had made it to work, the day went as she thought it would, being cramped in her office, her hand getting tired from all the papers she needed to read and sign. But when lunchtime came, Roy insisted that they do it in his office. Great, this most likely meant that she was going to be doing her _and_ his paperwork now.

When she arrived at his office, she proceeded with the formalities. "Lieutenant Hawkeye." She said with professionalism. "Permission to enter, sir."

"Granted." She heard him say as she opened the door.

When she walked in, she saw Mustang standing there, holding a single red rose. A lovely lunch arranged neatly on the table with a couple of candles on either side.

"Sir...what is all this?" She asked, her face lighting up as she looked around at all of his work.

"What?" He asked in defense, handing her the rose. "It's just a little paperwork over lunch. Nothing out of the ordinary here." A cheerful smile on his lips. "But..." He continued, pulled a large stack of paperwork from the desk behind him. "Well, would you look at that, it's already finished."

"Bummer." Riza said playfully.

"Looks like lunch will just have to be lunch today." He said, guiding her to the table where the food was.

"We'll make it work." She replied, feeling overjoyed.

For most of their lunch hour, they just talked and chattered about little things. Playful flirting jabs here and there. It actually felt like they were on a real date. It didn't matter it was just sushi in her superior's office. It was magical because it was Mustang, and he felt the same of her.

"How was your food?" Roy asked, finishing his and wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"It tasted great."

"So I'm a good cook then?" He asked, looking at her.

Riza just chuckled. "I'm not sure, this is from the place around the corner."

"Damn!" Roy said with fake frustration. "I should have known a keen eyes like yours would figure that out. I may not have made it but I _arranged_ everything."

"That you did, sir." She said, still giggling.

"Roy."

"What?" She asked.

"We're alone. You can call me by my first name. Although I can't say the constant 'sir' thing isn't sexy." He said flirtatiously.

Riza blushed and looked away. For as long as she had known him the most personal thing she called him was Mustang. Even when they were alone in the past, she never called him Roy, but he never just called her 'Riza' either.

"Okay... _Roy_." She said slowly. Saying his name to her superior like that felt strange on her tongue.

"Thank you, _Riza_." He replied, slipping his arm around her. He lost himself in her eyes and gently stroked her soft cheek with his fingers."In all seriousness, Riza, I don't know why you bother putting up with me. I'm arrogant, demanding-"

"And you have a temper." She added with a smirk.

Roy just laughed a little. "Exactly, I'm all those things, and yet...you never gave up on me. You've always stood by my side, even when I didn't deserve it."

Riza turned to him and put her arms around him, and running her fingers through the back of his hair with one of her hands. "You've always been worth it. I'll always be by your side."

Roy just took her beauty in for a moment. He took his hand from her cheek and moved it to her chin, so that her lips could meet his. To Riza, his touch was like fireworks. For so long, the two of them had awaited this moment.

As he kissed her, Roy felt tears landing on is hand. Riza broke from him.

Roy just regarded her sadly for a moment. He knew why her tears fell. There wasn't anything he could say to her, no words were going to soothe her. Telling her everything would be fine could very well be a lie. It may not be. He didn't want his words to be hollow.

Instead, he just brought her close to his chest and held her, stroking her hair and kissing her on the top of her head. His own eyes were closed tightly as he held her. All he wanted was to not make her cry, and yet, here she was, sobbing in his arms. Riza didn't deserve pain like this. Maybe he was right before when he decided to push her away. But, he knew in his heart that would be futile. She wasn't going to leave his side no matter what he did. Pushing her away again wouldn't make her feel better, only worse.

All he wanted to do right now was utter those three little words to her, but he feared that it would only upset her further. So he decided to hold back, but it didn't change the fact that...

He was in love with Riza Hawkeye.

XXXX

Ever since Edward had overheard the conversation between Alphonse and Dr. Lee, his training seemed to just plateau. Hearing Al say that Edward would never commit suicide if he was pushed to the edge, made Edward fill with guilt. He had been lying to his little brother about something huge and it just didn't sit right with him. The plan used to be that he would _never_ tell Alphonse what really happened, but now, it seemed he wasn't going to make any more progress until he did. Better to tell him now, rather than him finding out at a critical moment and breaking down.

Doctor Lee had left town to tend to a few patients and would be gone for a day or two, so now was the perfect time to get this over with. He just had to bite the bullet.

The brothers were outside sparring. Physical training was still something they needed to keep up with. Edward was getting beaten over and over again by Alphonse. Edward had never beaten him to begin with, but it seemed he was going down a lot easier than usual.

"Is something on your mind, Brother?" Al asked, knowing that something wasn't right.

Edward couldn't look at his brother, he just stared down at the grass. "Al, I have to tell you something. I didn't want to say anything about it but its been weighing on me lately."

"I've noticed that you seemed distracted by something for a while." Al said. "So what's up?"

"I wasn't...completely honest with you about when Dad, Riza and Greed found me in that cave." Ed told him, still not looking at Al.

"You weren't?" Al asked, sounding hurt.

Edward shook his head. "No, and I'm sorry about that."

"What really happened, then?"

Edward sighed and swallowed hard—his mouth was suddenly so dry. "It's about _h-how_ I died." He said, stammering. "It wasn't Bradley who killed me."

"What!?" Alphonse exclaimed. "Who did it then!?"

"Me." Edward barely choked out in a pained voice.

Alphonse let out a loud gasp. "What!? It was _you_!? Youkilled _yourself_!?" He yelled in horror.

Edward's long blond hair fell around his face. "I did." He said sadly.

"Were you under the influence of the Philosopher's Stone when you did it?" Alphonse asked next, his voice now eerily even and calm.

Edward shook his head slowly. "No. I was in control when it happened."

Alphonse let out an angry grunt and an infuriated growl. He stormed over to his older brother and slapped him hard across the face. Edward made no motion to move or avoid it, he just took it because he felt he deserved it. He fell onto the grass from the strike.

"How dare you!" Alphonse yelled down to him, it was clear that he, or his soul, was weeping. "How _dare_ you, Brother!?"

Edward looked up to him and his eyes were glassy. "I'm sorry, Al. I didn't have a choice."

"There's _always_ a choice! But you did what you always do, you act _then_ think! How could you of left me so easily? What, was all that talk about getting out bodies back just a lie!?"

Edward made it to his feet. "No, of course not! You're always my top priority! It's just-"

"Just _what_!?"

" _Because I wanted to kill dad, Alphonse!_ " Edward screamed. Straining his voice so hard his voice was now hoarse and breaking. "That damn stone made me crave his blood! I wasn't going to stop until I did it! It manipulated my head and made me _want_ to kill him more than anything!" Edward's throat was stinging so he brought his volume down. "And..if I had really killed him...killed our _dad_..." He trailed off, tears streaking down his face. "I wouldn't even _want_ to live anymore. I wouldn't deserve it." Edward fell to his knees and grabbed at the grass beneath him. "And now...I've damned him to suffer for a year, only to have him die anyway."

Edward was sobbing hard at this point, nearly hysterical. "I'm so sorry, Alphonse! I made a choice, and a stupid one! I didn't want to leave you, I swear! You're my brother and I love you! It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do! I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry, Al!"

Alphonse fell to his knees in front of Edward and hugged him tight. Edward was just screaming he was sorry over and over again through his tears. Edward had just been a mess lately, maybe Lee was right, maybe Brother _did_ need to talk to someone.

"Okay...it's okay, Brother. Shhh..." Alphonse said soothingly. "That couldn't have been an easy situation for you, I get that. But I want you to promise me, _promise me_ , Brother, that you won't ever do anything like that ever again. Just tell me or someone else if you feel there isn't another way. There are more people out there that love you than you think."

Edward nodded, just clinging to his brother tight.

"I need you to do a couple of things for me, okay?" Al said.

"What are they?" Edward asked, sniffling.

"One: I want you to call dad. I really think hearing his voice would make you feel better." Al told him.

"Fine. I will." Ed conceded. "What's the other?"

"Two: I want you to talk to someone-a professional. I know that you're the Fullmetal Alchemist, and you think you can handle everything on your own, but it'll help you with your nightmares and all the burdens you're carrying."

There was a beat of silence. "Would you go with me?" Edward asked.

"Of course I would, Brother." Al replied, standing, helping Edward up too. "Come on, let's go and give dad a call."

"All right." Edward said, breaking away from Alphonse. "Let's go call him. It's far past time for us to report in anyways. As he turned to leave, he felt Al take his hand.

"Sorry for hitting you." Alphonse said, you could tell he felt bad about it.

Edward smiled sadly and laughed a little. "Don't worry about it. You were right, I just needed you to knock some sense into me, and that's exactly what you did. Now come on, let's go call our Colonel Bastard dad."

Then the boys made their way back into the house.

XXXX

Roy was sitting at his desk, going over his mission briefing. Although, his mind was going a mile a minute and he couldn't properly focus. Seeing Riza cry that way, to be in _that_ much distress...and it was all because of him. Why did he have to give into his feelings for her again? It only caused her more and more pain each time he did. No matter how much he loved her, he just kept hurting her no matter what he did. The only reason he had even told her in the first place was because he was sure he was going to die that day.

Why did he do that?

Roy was brought out of his thoughts when he felt a sharp pain in his chest again. What? Already? It was odd, however, it lasted very shortly. Only about two or three heartbeats, and then it went away completely.

Bringing two fingers to his neck, he felt his pulse, but it still seemed fine. Inside is coat pocket he pulled out the bottle of pills Evans gave him and took two of the capsules. He had just forgotten to take it for today, that's all it was. It was fine.

Everything was fine.

The next sound he heard was his phone line ringing. Sliding the pills back in his pocket, he picked up the receiver. "Fuhrer Mustang's office."

" _ **WHAT**_!?" Edward's voice screamed from the other end of the line.

Roy had to hold the phone far away from his ear, and yet the kid's loud lungs were still hurting his ears. "What the hell, Fullmetal!?" He yelled back at him.

"How and when did you become _Fuhrer_? Why didn't you tell me!?" Edward said, still shouting too loudly for Roy to bring the phone back to his head.

"Stop yelling!" Roy shouted back. "And I'll be happy to answer your questions. How? Because Bradley is still 'missing' and Amestris can't go without a Fuhrer. When? A few months ago, shortly after you left. And why didn't I tell you? That's because you're not _here_ , Fullmetal."

"You could of called me!" Edward countered.

"Fullmetal," Roy said, closing his eyes in annoyance, "how could I have called you when I don't know where you _are_?"

Silence on Edward's end for a little while, he'd realized how stupid he'd just sounded. It was true, Mustang didn't have any idea where they were—because they purposely didn't tell him.

"Shut up." Edward mumbled angrily. The kid was embarrassed.

"So why did you suddenly decide to grace me with that lovely voice of yours?" Roy asked sarcastically.

Edward suddenly became tongue-tied. "I, uh...I just wanted to know..." He trailed off before he was interrupted.

"Brother was worried about you and wanted to make sure you were okay!" Alphonse dropped in.

Edward growled. "Shut _up_ , Al!" He said, and then there was a loud metal clang over the phone and Alphonse screaming.

"Not cool, Brother." Al's voice came through and he sounded brooding.

"Worried about me?" Roy said back.

"No!" Edward shouted quickly. "I wasn't worried, I just—how are you feeling?"

Roy looked downward, placing a hand on his chest, he'd considered telling them about the medicine he was taking, but he thought that would do more harm than good. "I've been feeling fine, Fullmetal,okay? You don't have to worry about me so much."

Edward was heard chuckling a little bit. "Well, you're sounding a lot more like your Colonel bastard self again, that's for sure. Oh, I'm sorry, _Fuhrer_ bastard."

Roy laughed himself. "Are you making any progress wherever you are, doing...whatever it is you're doing?"

"I'm making a _lot_ of progress!" Edward said happily. "I'm not going to stop until I master this technique."

"Technique?" Roy asked, raising a brow.

"Yeah, I'm working on perfecting my medicinal alchemy, and if I get good enough, I _know_ I will find the transmutation that will heal you."

Roy sighed and his voice grew serious. "Fullmetal, medicinal alchemy can be hell on the user. Please tell me you've been taking care of yourself."

"Ugh, you sound just like Doctor Lee!" Edward whined. "Yes! I'm being careful!"

Roy's eyes shot open. "Wait, did you just say Doctor Lee?" He asked. "Do you mean Doctor Douglas Lee?"

"Yeah...why?" Edward asked, wondering why Mustang suddenly sounded so strange.

"Come home, Fullmetal." Roy ordered abruptly.

"What!?" Edward asked in disbelief. "No, I can't! I'm finally starting to make some real progress!"

"I am _ordering_ you to come home, now! I'm not asking, Fullmetal." Roy said, his voice rising.

Edward just sighed hard. "This is the only way that we've found that has a _chance_ of saving you, ad now you're asking me to just throw it all away?"

"Listen to me, just trust me and come home. Please." Roy said, trying to stay calmed.

"I can't do that, dad." Edward said softly. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now." he said, suddenly hanging up the phone.

"Fullmetal?" Roy said into the receiver. "Edward!" When he realized the call was ended, he slammed the phone down hard on the hook. "Damn it!" He cursed, and his chest flared briefly again. Worse this time.

 _Damn it._

Riza knocked on his door a few moments later, opening it. "Are you ready to head out, sir?" She asked.

"Yeah..." He answered in a strained voice, rising from his desk. "I'm coming."

That's right. He had a mission he had to complete today. There was a rouge alchemist out there that had dominion over lightning. Like Scar used to, he was taking down any alchemist he could get his hands on. Roy never understood the way guys like this and Scar thought. They loathed alchemists and yet they used alchemy to suit their own needs.

As of now there were five alchemists dead and at least twelve critically injured.

Mustang himself and Riza were going to be the ones on the front lines, while Havoc and Major Armstrong would serve as their support. From his desk, Mustang grabbed a small, metal suitcase that held multiple pairs of ignition gloves. Riza and Havoc already had plenty of ammo for all their guns, and Alex, he only needed his fists and brass knuckles to get the job done.

Roy walked out the door before Riza could even really say anything. "Let's get going." He said coldly, barely regarding her.

"Sir, are you-"

"I'm fine, lieutenant. Let's go." He said rudely, cutting her off.

"Yes sir." She said with her own annoyed tone and followed him out. Something had happened to set Roy back a ways and she was worried he wouldn't manage to find his way back again.


	21. Chapter 21 - Sparks Fly

**Chapter 7**

 **Sparks Fly**

The car ride on the way to capture the rogue lightning alchemist, better known as the Spark Alchemist, was a cramped and awkward one. Well, it least it was in the backseat. Havoc was at the wheel, chattering happily with Alex who was beside him. Roy just gazed out the window beside him, watching rain droplets streak down the glass of the window. He was still coming down from his conversation with Edward, and he needed to be in a good place when he went into this fight. Errors could mean death if he wasn't careful. Fullmetal's efforts would be in vain if he were to die because he was _distracted_. Even though his head was turned, he could just _feel_ Riza's eyes staring holes into him.

" _What_ , lieutenant?" He asked, not even turning to face her.

"You tell me." She answered. "Did something happen when you were on the phone with Fullmetal?" Before she came into the room before, she heard him on the phone with someone, she could only deduce it was Edward because he sounded stressed out. Given by his crabby demeanor, the talk went very poorly.

Roy rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yes." He replied simply.

"Did he give you bad news or something? Is he getting nowhere with curing you?"

"No." Roy said. "Quite the opposite, actually. He's been perfecting his medicinal alchemy and he's making great strides with it."

Riza's eyes narrowed in confusion. Wasn't this _good_ news? "Well, I understand that alchemy like that can be very strenuous on the user, but-"

"It's not that." He said, cutting her off. "His mentor...it's Douglas Lee."

Riza's eyes shot open a little. "You mean...?"

"Exactly." Roy finished for her. "Do you remember, back in the Ishval war, the man I wrestled the gun from?"

Riza nodded. "The man that wanted to kill Maes?"

"That's the one." He told her. "After he shot me, Maes killed him off. Turns out, that man was Lee's son. There's no doubt that he knows that Maes and I had a hand in his death. There's no way he knows that he's training Fullmetal to save me. The kids must not of told him, but if he _does_ find out somehow, I'm afraid he'll..."

"Did you tell Edward they needed to come home?"

"I ordered them to."

Riza's face fell further. "I take it he refused?"

Roy finally looked at her with aggravated eyes. "Take a wild guess."

"I see." Riza said, backing off a little. "Well, the boys have been there for months now. If he _did_ know and was planning something, don't you think he would have done it by now?"

"That's what I'm banking on." Roy told her.

Riza discreetly placed her hand on top of his. "They're going to be fine, sir. Even if something were to happen, those boys are tough. They can handle it."

And just like that, Roy felt better. He gave her a weak smile and nod. How did she do that? With just a few simple words, she had pulled him out of the dark depths of his own head. Tender as her touch was, it put him at ease again.

Suddenly, the car violently lurched forward, so hard that Roy and Riza hit the seats in front of them.

"What the hell _was_ that, Major?" Roy called out to Alex. Bracing himself to keep himself steady, Riza following suit. Havoc was practically fighting the steering wheel to try and keep the car's four tires on the ground.

"I'd say we've found our Spark Alchemist." Armstrong said, gripping the dash before him, until Havoc finally managed to bring the vehicle to a halt.

"At least we don't need to bait him out!" Roy yelled. "Havoc!"

Havoc knew what he had to do, he leaned his body out of the now shattered window next to him and took aim with his machine gun. Once he had the shot, he began firing without mercy.

Although his aim was straight on, Spark generated a field of electricity around his body to avoid being hit by the bullets.

The Spark Alchemist was a pretty hefty man, not as much as Alex—but close enough. A thick, large gray poncho covered most of his body and he had the hood up, obscuring his face. On his hands were two neon green-looking gloves that had had transmutation circles drawn on them in black. Much like how Roy does with his flame alchemy, this man was able to create electricity and sparks with those circles that marked his gloves. Just barely under the hood, two eyes flashed out. The color was much like the color of his gloves. Not only could this guy summon lightning, he clearly had merged with it and taken it into his body somehow.

No wonder so many alchemists were taken down by this guy.

"Shit!" Havoc cried out when he saw all the ammo he just wasted hit the wet pavement. Nearly an entire clip. "He used some sort of electrical force field to parry my bullets."

Roy soon took control of the situation. "Havoc, you and Hawkeye need to flank this guy on both sides. Armstrong—you keep him occupied until I can light him up with my flame alchemy. All of you...do _not_ get to close to him. We have no idea what his area of effect is yet."

Roy peered out the window again. The sky was littered with darkened clouds, the rain was just a mere drizzle right now, but from the way the sky looked, a cloud burst was imminent. That all would have to wait, though. Hopefully, they could take this man down before the rain came down. Roy opened the small metal briefcase that he'd brought with him and removed a pair of ignition gloves, sliding them on his hands.

"Yes, sir!" His teamed called back to him.

As the team exited the car, Riza pulled out a smoke bomb in each hand and threw them. As the bombs made contact with the pavement, they exploded into clouds of white bright smoke. The fog was so dense, that seeing your hand in front of your face was impossible. This allowed the team to scatter to their positions unscathed.

They didn't have long to flee to their covers, however. The Spark Alchemist's eyes flashed brightly again, he brought his arms out on each side. The man's arms began to crackle with flashes of light. When the man brought his hands together, the static generated from the sparks was enough to pull in the smoke like a vacuum.

Mustang's team didn't have enough time to make it to their stations, they were fully exposed now.

"Such childish tricks." The Spark Alchemist said with distaste and the last bit of smoke was evaporated into the air. The man saw that Havoc had his gun firmly in his grip and his aim was square at his head.

Using his lightning surges, he was able to pull Havoc's gun toward him—taking Havoc with it. Once his opponent was a little closer, he used his other hand to violently shock him. Because Havoc held his gun so tight and it was made from a thick metal, he was being electrocuted. Havoc let out an agonized scream and fell to the ground. Before he hit it, falling unconscious.

" _Havoc!_ " Roy cried out, fear struck him when he looked over to Riza to see her still holding her gun.

The Spark just laughed at his own brutal handiwork and eased his surges. "Who's next?" He taunted, looking over to Riza next.

Roy felt horror fill his body. Exclaiming, he shouted, "Hawkeye! Throw your gun away, now!"

Before Riza could comprehend what Roy was saying, she felt a zap in her hand. This, luckily, caused her to drop it. She cried out a little bit and grabbed her injured hand. It was burned a bit and had a faint trail of smoke emitting from it. "Shit!" She yelled, not only at the pain, but that her dominant shooting arm was now basically useless. This meant she wouldn't be able to protect Roy the best she could, not to mention the rest of her team.

Roy and Armstrong were the only ones not injured, so you he had to make sure the ones that _were_ injured got help. "Armstrong! Get Havoc and Hawkeye out of here and to a hospital!"

Alex didn't want to refuse the Fuhrer, but right now, no one knew if Jean was alive or even breathing. Growling in frustration, Alex lunged at the Spark Alchemist, managing to nimbly dodge his lightning strikes despite his size. He had managed to land a hard punch to Spark and knock him back a ways. This gave him time to scoop up Havoc and get him out of there. When he made it back to the others, he looked at Riza. "Come on, lieutenant. Let's get you fixed up."

Riza just shook her head. "No, I'm staying to help him. I'm fine, you have my word. I'll use my plastic weapon and shoot with my left. I refuse to leave him alone. Just go!" She insisted.

Roy growled in frustration. One of his men were already injured badly, he didn't want to add more to that count. "I told you to-"

"You shut up!" Riza yelled back, cutting him off. She turned back to Armstrong. " _Go_ , Alex." She said so on he could hear her. "I'm _not_ leaving him."

Alex looked over at Roy, remembering his talks with his sister, he saw that Roy wasn't looking so well, and Riza knew that. This was the best way to go about this and all three of them knew that—whether they admitted it or not.

"Take care of yourselves. I'll be back as soon as I can." Alex said, placing Havoc in the badly damaged, yet still working vehicle and urgently peeled off. Smoke and screeches came from the friction of the tires and the speed on the pavement they hit.

"And then there were two." Spark said, walking closer to them, having recovered from his blow to the face. Harsh energy surges enveloped both of his hands, far more energy than there was before. "Tell me, Mustang..." He said with darkness in his voice. "How much do you love this woman?" Now he was walking closer to Riza while still generating electrical power.

"Hawkeye, fall back!" Roy ordered as he began to snap at his foe. The lightning seemed to just deflect it, however. Roy summoned everything he had into hitting this man with his flames. From where he was standing, there was no way he could reach Riza before the Spark Alchemist did. Terror spread in his chest. " _Stay away from her!_ " He screamed, running at the man while snapping furiously.

Riza was firing as fast as her fingers would allow her. Although she had learned to shoot with her left hand, her aim wasn't the best with it and the pain in her other hand made her speed of fire drop significantly too.

Riza kept firing but her bullets seemed to do about as much as Havoc's did earlier. But she just kept shooting—and then she heard it.

 _Click click._

Her clip was emptied. Before she could make it to cover to reload, the man swiftly grabbed her by the throat and began choking her, raising her off of the ground with one hand. With his other hand, he was still gathering more sparking power.

Before he hit her with the electricity, he shot his head toward Mustang. "You snap at me with that fire one more time, I'll electrocute this woman into an empty husk!"

Roy was slid to a halt and ceased his snapping. Although he still had his hand poised to snap at any given second. He was trembling. He knew this man wasn't bluffing and all it would take was one twist of the sick bastard's hand to snap Riza's neck.

Pissed that he was still being trained on by Roy's fire he decided to up the ante a little. "I'm serious, Mustang!" With that he gave Riza a brief shock. It only lasted a moment, but hearing Riza scream in anguish like that was more than he could stand.

" _Riza_!" Roy screamed, his arms shaking so hard now that it almost was like he was convulsing, his breath was leaving him. At this moment he had no idea what to do.

"That was just a taste of what I could do to her." Spark said with warning in his voice. "I'm going to walk away from this. How easy you make that for me is entirely up to you." He said. "Now, hand me over your ignition gloves. I don't need you pulling something as I leave, and rest assured, Roy, I _will_ kill her."

Riza was struggling in the man's arms. "Ugh, don't...listen to him, sir." She choked out. "Just..take him out...while you still can. Don't...worry about...me."

Roy didn't know what to do. As Fuhrer, it was his duty to catch this guy, but if he did that, then Riza would be killed. Also, if he handed over his ignition gloves, he'd be defenseless, for both him and Riza. The case that held his backups were in the car Alex took. For all he knew, this guy could take his gloves and just off the both of them in an instant.

" _ **FUCK!**_ _"_ Roy screamed, grabbing his hair in despair.

"I'm growing impatient, Mustang." Spark warned him again. "What's it going to be?"

Roy closed his eyes tightly and sighed, he'd known the answer all along. "Fine. You win." he said, pulling the gloves from his fingers.

"Please, sir! Don't do this!" She screamed in a squeaked out voice. She was fast losing oxygen.

Spark looked back to her. "You'd better shut the hell up unless you want another thousand bolts running through your body."

"Fuck you." She said back to him, coughing. Her mouth had earned her another brief shock from Spark. Screams left her throat, it lasted slightly longer this time but it soon ended and she was still fighting to breathe.

"Just stop it god dammit!" Roy cried out. Once he had the gloves off of his hands, he cautiously approached the man. He now noticed Riza was no longer moving or struggling to get free. Panic filled his body. Was she alive?

Spark nodded. "Yeah, that's it. Nice and slow."

Roy didn't even look at Spark, he was too focused to see if there were any sign that Riza was moving. "Lieutenant?" He asked in a voice that evoked how angry and truly frightened he was. "Hey, can you hear me, Hawkeye?"

Roy's words were met with silence.

"Focus on me right now, son." The Spark said, sounding more threatening now than ever.

Once Roy made it to the Spark Alchemist, he stopped and held his gloves out for the man to take. But the man didn't even grab them, he just used his surges to zap the thin pieces of cloth into nothing more than ash. Keeping up his end of the deal, he released Riza, carelessly tossing her to the side and ceasing his lightning alchemy.

This was his chance.

From a hidden pocket in his jacket, Roy pulled out his revolver that he only used in situations as dire as this. The gun was made out of metal, but he had to hope he'd be fast enough that it wouldn't even matter. He _had_ to take this window, and he could now that Riza was freed. Roy aimed the gun for Spark's head.

"Nice try." the Spark Alchemist said, grabbing Roy's arm in midair.

Roy gasped. How in the hell did he see this sneak attack coming? Roy rarely, if ever, used firearms. No one but his team knew that he kept a revolver hidden in his jacket.

Next thing Roy knew he was being viciously shocked. Now his own screams were filling the air. The attack was ended abruptly when a heavy force knocked Spark off his feet and crashing into a car parked across the street, and he wasn't moving anymore.

Roy somehow managed to stay on his feet. He grasped at his chest and staggered backward, dazed.

Armstrong had made it back just in time.

Alex noticed how off kilter the Fuhrer looked. "Sir, are you okay?" He asked, taking Roy's arm to help steady him.

Roy blinked slowly a few times, still reeling from the attack he'd just taken. It suddenly seemed so hard for his eyes to remain open. Pushing away from Alex, he stumbled weakly over to Hawkeye.

"R...Ri...za..." He said with a pained and shaken voice. When he tried to kneel down beside her, he collapsed completely. His chest felt as if someone had ripped his heart out, but he didn't care, she mattered most right now. His face had fallen next to hers and he reached for it. "Pl...ease...open your...eyes..." He begged in a whisper, it was as loud as he could speak at the moment. "Riza..." He called out, his vision blurring and his consciousness fading away.

Just as he'd placed his hand on hers, darkness enveloped him.


	22. Chapter 22 - Revelations

**Chapter 8**

 **Revelations**

( _One week later...)_

Edward woke up early that day, hard as it was to do. Lee had been pushing him even harder than usual since he'd gotten back from his trip. Maybe he'd noticed Edward was slipping too before he left. Progress couldn't be slowed or halted no matter what. Every second of every day was significant. It was already late April, which meant that Mustang was nearing only seven more months to live. As good as Edward had gotten at healing minor lacerations and fractured bones, he was far from where he needed to be. He was still far from his ultimate goal.

To save his father's life.

Maybe getting up early and getting a sooner start to the day would make up for his lost time. But he also needed to talk with the doctor about something that was worrying him.

Edward walked into Lee's den, feeling his stomach lurch with each step he took closer. Alphonse wasn't here because he was out getting more supplies that they needed for their training. Even if Alphonse was here, he still felt that this was something that he needed to handle alone.

Lee was sitting at his desk, slicing open letters with a long silver letter opener. Edward was astounded but how much mail one man could get. Made sense, though, the man had a lot of patience and he'd been gone for roughly a week. Mail _would_ tend to pile up for a man as important as him.

"Um...Lee?" Edward began meekly. "Is it okay if I ask you something?"

Lee looked up from his envelopes and looked thrown by Edward's timid demeanor. Usually the kid was feisty as all hell and was eager to get started with his training as early as possible. And he had heard all about the confrontation Edward had with Alphonse about his suicide, and the two seemed a lot better now.

So what was wrong?

"Of course." Lee answered, placing his letter and the opener back on the desk. "What's on your mind, son?"

Edward looked to the left, wringing his hands anxiously. "I hate to bring something like this up, I really do, but it's important."

"What's going on, Edward?" Lee asked.

Edward gulped and continued to fidget about. "Years ago...were you...um...involved in the Ishvalan war by any chance?" He asked, hating to even say the words. After his talk with Mustang last week, he had been left with a feeling of unease.

Mustang was hell-bent on he and Alphonse coming home. At first, Edward couldn't imagine why he would even suggest something like that. But as the days went on,and he thought more about it, the reason was slowly becoming more and more clear.

Hearing what the boy had said, Lee's eyes grew serious. "Why?' he asked simply.

Edward felt his throat tighten in fear. "Because...I think someone I know may have been involved with the attack on your village."

Edward hated this, and knew that Lee most likely did as well. But he _had_ to ask, he _had_ to know. Because if he was right in his suspicions, then it was better to get ahead of it now, then for it to come out at a critical moment. Besides, he owed Lee a lot, and the man that could have a chance to save his dad deserved to know the truth.

Lee stood, sliding something into his pocket that Edward couldn't see. "I didn't fight in that war, Edward. I was for too old for combat." He began walking closer to the boy. 'My _son,_ however, he did fight."

That was the answer that Edward already knew but prayed wasn't true. "Did he...uh—make it home?"

Lee sighed heavily and adjusted his glasses. "No. My son was killed in battle by two soldiers from Central in Amestris."

Edward felt his eyes widen in horror and his breath leave him. It was then that he realized maybe the Fuhrer bastard _was_ right. Maybe he and Alphonse _did_ need to come home, because suddenly...

Edward didn't feel safe here anymore.

If Lee were to find out, hell, if he didn't already know, that he and Alphonse were from Central themselves, not only would he quit helping them, he could very well kill them both. Mustang obviously knew that he had a hand in killing Lee's son, that was why he freaked out so much. If Lee was aware that he was teaching medicinal alchemy to the son of the man that had killed _his_ son, well...

Edward didn't want to think about it. That would mean everything he and Alphonse worked for at this point would mean nothing, and months they didn't really have to being with would be wasted. It would mean that time they could have spent with Mustang in his final days would have been thrown away and lost forever.

Edward's voice was trembling. "Do you, um, know _who_ the soldiers were that k-killed him?"

Darkness spread across Lee's face and he looked Edward dead in the eyes. "I do." He answered. "Their names are Maes Hughes and Roy Mustang."

Suddenly, Edward couldn't breathe and let out a loud gasp. "I'm sorry to hear that." He said, the horror in his voice was palpable.

Lee still began to creep closer and closer to Ed. "By the way, Edward, you've never shared with me the name of the organization you boys work for back in Amestris. Who sent you here?"

Edward felt himself walking backwards, trying to put distance between them. "N-no one sent me. I came here on my own."

"And what's the name of your commanding officer?"

Breathless and trembling, Edward remained silent. Could he really fight this guy if it came down to it? Was Lee even a bad man if he _did_ attack him? Lee was the type of man that Edward just knew had saved more lives than he'd taken. Would it really be right to take someone as heroic as him out? He was just mourning the loss of his son, after all.

Just as Mustang had done with Edward.

The gap between the two was fast closing. "It's Roy Mustang, isn't it?" Lee asked. "Don't bother trying to lie to me—it's insulting. Your superior killed my son."

Edward continued walking backwards slowly. "I didn't know." He said, still trying to stave off his fear. "I only found out a few days ago."

Lee laughed so deeply that it was just eerie. "So, all this time I've been helping the son of the man that took mine from me. You can't make this sort of shit up."

Edward felt his back collide with the wall and he saw Lee pull something from his pocket—the letter opener. The glint it made in the light made it look even sharper than it already was. "What're you gonna do?" he asked, his voice cowering.

Lee just peered down at the seemingly innocent tool in his hand. "You refer to him as your 'dad', right?" He asked. "If I were to kill you right here and now, my son could finally be avenged."

"Don't...please." Edward whimpered, staring down at the opener as if it were a hungry animal about to tear him apart.

Lee pulled his arm back for a second, appearing to be putting it back in his pocket.

Before jamming it into Edward's stomach.

Edward cried out and began to slide down the wall. Putting his hand over the wound to slow the bleeding made it hurt even worse. The blood was pouring out of him far too quickly.

Lee turned away from Edward. "Killing you...or even Mustang for that matter, wouldn't change anything. It wouldn't bring Zackary back to me." He explained. "Revenge is just an illusion. It eases the pain for a short while, but not long after, you begin to feel hollow—empty."

Covered in blood and groaning, Edward fought to speak. "Then... _uh_...why did you...?" he trailed off.

Lee turned abruptly and knelt down to Edward, yanking the blade from his body, causing Edward to let out an agonized scream. "My son is dead, Edward. He isn't coming back. Besides, I'm no murderer, especially to children. And from all you've told me, it sounds like the three of you have been though enough torment." Lee tossed the blood-soaked letter opener off to the side. "Heal it." He told him, looking down at the kid's bleeding gut.

Edward had no idea what was happening. "What?"

"Heal it or you'll die, Edward, and that would make me a murderer. Think of how your father and Alphonse would feel if you died." Lee warned him.

The dizziness from all the blood loss was overtaking Edward fast. "I can't..." He groaned, "You have to...do it for me."

Lee shook his head in denial. "I can't use medicinal alchemy like you, son. Besides, I don't believe in it. You have to do this for yourself. Think of how far you've come in all this time. Just focus and concentrate as hard as you can." He said, now placing a sturdy hand on Edward's shoulder, who was still hedging. "Heal your wound now or you'll _die_ , Edward!"

Edward closed his eyes and fought to find his focus. Summoning all of the power and alchemy he had learned in all this time. Ed thought about all the people that were counting on him, and _needed_ him to survive. All the people he'd be leaving behind if her were to die today. Mustang using human transmutation to revive him would all have been for nothing. All of this suffering would have been for nothing! His father would be dying for _nothing_! He _had_ to save his dad! He _had_ to get his little brother's body back! He had to _live_ no matter what! He had to _**LIVE**_!

Letting out a roar of effort, he clapped his bloodied hands together as hard as he could, slapping them down on the wound on his stomach.

Harsh green light filled the room and was at it's peak over Edward's gash. The wound closed beautifully, and the pain had vanished.

Edward fell back hard against the wall, labored panting escaping his lungs. Never in his life had Edward felt more drained. But it was over, the wound had been healed. And it wasn't just a patch job either, it was as if the injury never happened in the first place.

Lee smiled from ear to ear, patting Ed on the back. "Excellent job, Edward!" He cheered, looking at the healed spot in awe. "See? I knew you could do it!"

Edward lifted a finger and pointed it at the doctor, chest still heaving for breath. "Never— _ever_ do that again."

"I know." Lee told him. "I'm sorry. But you have to learn to keep centered and focus even when you're in dangerous situations, that's the only way you'll be able to progress. Think about it, you can learn to heal your dad, but you can also learn to use that alchemy to heal other injuries too."

Lee extended his hand to help Edward stand. "I was never going to let you die here, Edward."

With tired eyes, Lee looked at the doctor. "You mean...none of that was revenge at all?" He asked, hesitantly letting Lee help him stand.

A saddened look just fell across Lee's face. "I can't change what happened to my son all those years ago, and taking someone else's son from them, wouldn't make me any better." He told him. "Like I said, I'm not a killer, Edward and I never intend on being one."

Edward couldn't help but feel a little touched. "Mustang isn't a monster, Lee. I promise you that." He said. "I wouldn't serve under someone if they were just a merciless killer, and believe me, he's suffered. More than anyone I've even known."

Lee nodded at the boy. "And that's why I still intend on helping you. Everyone these days seems to have far more pain and suffering than they should. I tend to focus on the future, not the past."

With little effort, Lee was able to help Edward back onto his feet again.

"Yeah..." Edward with a weak chuckle. "But you pull something like that again and I'll knock you on your ass, old man."

Lee laughed in response. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you, son. Now let's get some food in you. You're going to need strength for our next lesson."

"N-next?" Edward gulped nervously. Food was sounding better and better with each passing moment because suddenly he was _starving_. "I want pancakes." He pouted with a whine.

Lee chuckled. "Very well, then." Then the two made for the kitchen to get some food in their bellies.

 _Man, those pancakes were delicious._

XXXX

Roy wasn't sure where he was exactly. All that engulfed him was pure darkness. Was he dead? Was his year up already? Was it Truth?

Roy just didn't know anything anymore.

All he heard was through otherwise silence was rhythmic beeping. His body felt as it were made of lead and the pain in his body was as if he'd been hit by a car. The next thing he realized was he was laying down on a soft yet somewhat still surface. A bed perhaps?

Roy could feel something shoved in both of his nostrils and it was very uncomfortable. His first thought was to pull them out, but he soon became aware that it was helping him breathe a little easier, so he left them. He could feel his bare chest exposed due to the cool air hitting him. Wires were scattered about on his pecs. Was that was the beeping was? Wait, that was it, he was in the hospital.

But why?

Opening his eyes to slits seemed like a far harder feat then it should have been. Before he could open them briefly, he caught a glimpse of blonde hair.

 _Riza?_

Once Roy was finally able to keep his eyes open, he saw that he was wrong. It wasn't Riza who was there at all, it was General Armstrong. Looking down at him from her chair with her arms folded, she looked as she often did—unamused and annoyed.

As he went to speak to her, he found his voice wasn't working. His throat was so unbelievably dry. All he could manage was to cough. Armstrong stood and grabbed a glass of water from the table next to her and approached Roy. She offered him a drink and twirled the straw to his direction.

Roy just shot her a look, insulted.

"Just drink the damn water, Roy." Armstrong scolded him. "No one is going to see you." She said, she wasn't in the mood for his pride bullshit.

Roy just glared at her a little longer. As much as he wanted to take that glass of water to rehydrate himself, moving his arms seemed to be too much for him at the moment. But he had questions that he had to have answered, so he sipped from the glass, although reluctantly.

The water wasn't cold at all, it was room temperature, but the moisture still felt soothing to his throat and mouth.

"Where...are...?" Roy asked slowly, as he finished his drink. His was was gravelly and hoarse.

Armstrong decided to let him save his strength, so she answered the question before he was even done asking it. "Havoc and Hawkeye are fine." She assured him. "Havoc was rattled by the shock, but all he has are small burns and a case of acute dehydration. He'll be back to his womanizing self before too long."

"And Hawkeye?"

Armstrong sat back down in her seat next to Roy. "More or less the same as Havoc. This Spark alchemist must have been feeling generous because the worst thing for her is her hand." She explained. "She'll need physical therapy for it to get full mobility for it back, but other than that, she's up and walking around fine."

Roy let out a heavy sigh of relief. Thank God his team was okay. Roy had no idea why they Spark Alchemist didn't kill all three of them like he had the others, but they were all alive and would make full recoveries.

Riza and Havoc would anyways.

"Where is she?" Roy asked next. If she was fine, then where was she now?

"Relax." Armstrong insisted. "The woman hasn't left your side since you've been here. I ordered her home to get some sleep. She was starting to look like walking zombie. Not that it didn't take a ton of coercing. When it comes to you, she especially stubborn. She'll be back in a couple hours."

Roy felt himself release a little in ease. Everyone was okay. That was all that mattered.

"How long was I out?" He asked next, fearing to hear the answer.

"A week and a half." She said bluntly.

Roy brought his hands to his head. "Jesus, that's not good."

Armstrong just shook her head at him. "No, it isn't." She agreed, pausing before speaking again. "You went into cardiac arrest three times, Roy." The tone of her voice almost sounded... _worried_. "The doctors didn't think they were going to be able to bring you back."

Roy still didn't bring his hands from his face. "Shit." He said in a whisper. "Do you the boys know?"

Armstrong shook her head. "No."

"Keep it that way." Roy told her. "I take it that people know of my...'affliction' now?"

"No. No one else knows that didn't already know." Armstrong replied. "I took care of it."

Roy put his arms down and looked at her. "Thank you."

"Mustang..." She began, her tone sounding serious. "Do you still intend on keeping things up as Fuhrer after what happened almost two weeks ago?"

Roy looked at her, almost offended. "What?" He expressed, clearly taken aback. "Of course I do. You of all people should know that something like this won't be enough to deter me."

"'Something like this'?" Armstrong repeated. "You died three time, Roy." She reminded him.

"But look at that, I'm still alive." The tone in his voice was smart, arrogant.

"You're dying, Roy."

"You think I don't know that!?" He yelled back at her.

"You sure as hell don't act like it." She retorted. "You keep taking all of thee risks when you need to me-"

"What?" Roy interrupted. "Bed ridden? An invalid?"

Armstrong just pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "What's wrong with that when your life is at risk?"

"Would you just lay down and wait to die if you were me, General?"

Armstrong fell silent. She knew in her heart that Mustang was right. If their roles were reversed, there was no force on earth that would get her to become feeble and just fade away. No affliction of hers would deter her from her end goals.

"Roy, if you continue on this path, all you're going to do is just end up dying before your year is up." She said. Her voice conveyed that she was being sincere, and despite whether she thought he was right or not, she understood where he was coming from.

"So be it then." Roy replied coldly. "As long as I'm living, I'm going to try and change this nation. Dying or not, it won't stop me from making it a reality."

Armstrong knew she was going to have to play hardball now. Getting through to him by these means wasn't working. "Do you remember how you felt when Hughes died?"

Roy felt a flicker of white hit rage spread in his chest. " _Don't_." He said firmly. Respect wasn't something he was going to continue with if she was going to go there. Maes' murder was a box he wanted to keep locked up tight.

"Imagine it one hundred times worse for those Elric boys." She warned him. "Fullmetal is out there doing everything in his power to try and save you. That boy hasn't given up—though it seems you clearly have."

Roy closed his eyes to try and not focus on this, seeing his best friend dead was something he was never going to get over. "Maes' death was avoidable. Mine isn't. I haven't given up. I'm just being realistic.

"Call it what you want, but you _have_ given up on yourself. You keep making rash decisions and not considering how it's hurting the people that love you, the ones that can't bear to lose you."

"What do you know about loss, General?" Roy said, not caring in that moment if he was being cruel or not.

To that, Armstrong just rose from her chair and walked up to Roy's bed and slapped him hard across the face. "I know a lot more than you fucking think." She said with a voice that was fending off rage. "Enough with this childish bullshit."

Roy never heard Armstrong curse before,it was strange to hear it. He took it to mean she meant business. Armstrong usually acted so professional, albeit a little hard on people from time time.

Roy rubbed his cheek where he was slapped, he knew better than anyone he had something like that coming. "I apologize, General. I was out of line."

Armstrong looked downward, her hair obscuring her face. Never had Roy seen the woman look so sad and defeated. "I lost my daughter, Roy."

Roy felt his eyes widened, feeling even worse about his prior comments. "Your...daughter?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Armstrong answered. "It was over fifteen years ago, but there hasn't been a day since that I haven't thought about her."

Roy assumed he knew the answer to his next question, but he asked it regardless. "Bradley's?"

The General nodded. "Only biologically." She said. "In my eyes, she never had a father in the first place." Sadness was fast filling her face.

"General..." Roy said gently, "you don't have to..."

"No," She stopped him. "it's time for me to tell someone." She told him. Her words started slowly. "Over a decade ago, Bradley and I were on and off in a relationship. It seemed them more I fell for him, the harder he would hit me. But I was blinded by my ignorance and love for him. I let that bastard make me believe that it was my fault."

Armstrong took a deep breath before she went on. "It wasn't until a couple years in and I found out that I was pregnant that I finally woke up. I was terrified, because I knew there was no chance my child _wasn't_ Bradley's. He was the only man I had been with at that point. After I told him that I was having his child, I thought the beatings would stop, but they didn't, in fact it made them worse. If his wife and Central found out that he had gotten some random woman pregnant, it would be the end of his credibility, the end of his so called _honor_. Every day he would tell me to 'get rid of her'. But there was no way I was going to do that, and Bradley knew it. So, he just kept beating me until I inevitably miscarried.:

Roy had his eyes narrowed as he listened, he had no idea that the General had endured so much. Armstrong was cold-hearted because she was just that kind of person, or thought she was better than anyone, it was because she had experience true pain. Roy couldn't fathom the death of either of his boys, but Armstrong was already living it.

"My daughter was the only bright spot in my life at the time, so when she...went away...I'd never felt more alone. I couldn't tell anyone. Not my parents, or even my brother. Central was a dream Alex and I shared, if I told anyone what happened, neither of us would be here right now."

"You mean...you endured all of that...on you own?" Roy asked, amazed by the strength of the woman in front of him. He already knew she was strong physically, but she was unreal at her emotional strength.

Armstrong finally dropped her icy facade, looking softly to Roy. "To this day, the only one that knows about this, besides Bradley and myself, is you."

Roy regarded her sadly. "What made you want to tell _me_ of all people?"

Armstrong's eyes grew glassy, but not once did an actual tear fall. "Because of what you did for Fullmetal." She said. "You put your kid's life before your own, any real parent would do that. If I was in your place, I would have done the same thing. I don't blame you for doing what you did, but I don't want you to give up before it's over. I want you to live and experience what it's like being a parent—for the both of us. Take the chance I never had."

Roy just gave her a warm nod. "Thank you, General. I mean it."

"The death that you gave Bradley was the one he deserved. Being burnt to nothing. Too many people have been hurt by him, no matter how well he hid it. Even if he were alive, he couldn't be redeemed. Now, I can finally have some closure for Belle."

Saying her daughter's name, made a tear fall down her face, but she wiped it away quickly. No one had ever seen her cry before, and she wanted to keep it that way. Roy was stunned that more tears didn't fall, she had been carrying all of this alone for so many years. He wouldn't blame her if she had broken long ago. Life had screwed her over, but she still stood back up and she was now stronger for it. But how she managed to deal with all of this, he had no idea. When Fullmetal died in his arms, it was like a piece of him died with him. Surely, Armstrong felt the same way.

"Belle." He said aloud. "That's a lovely name."

"Thank you." The General said, composing herself. "There. We're even now. Now you know for certain I won't tell anyone any of your secrets. They're safe with me. I'll take them to my grave."

"Right back at you." he told her. He didn't need the reassurance anymore, he knew without a doubt he could trust her, as she could trust him.

Armstrong got up to leave, but before she did, she turned back to Roy. "It isn't over until it's over, Mustang. Just remember that."

Roy felt a touched smile on his lips. "Right."

Armstrong was right, he still had a few more months left. He may not know what the future held for him and his boys, but he knew, without a doubt, he'd go down swinging.

If he went down at all.


	23. Chapter 23 - Just Have Faith

**Chapter 9**

 **Just Have Faith**

 _(May)_

Riza never did like clothes shopping. Especially for a fancy dress, she never thought of herself as a girly-girl. But still, she needed a dress for her superior's ball, and truth be told, she wanted to look flawless that night. Dresses were never something she knew anything about, I mean, look what she did for a living. What go would frilly dress do her when she's sniping a killer while her Colonel burned them to ash?

Not much.

Nonetheless, a dress needed to be bought. Only the men were required to wear their military uniforms, while the woman got to glam it up a little more. Riza had considered just wearing her own uniform as well, but this night was for Roy and she wanted to pick something she thought he may like on her. Besides, it wasn't just for Roy that she wanted to look beautiful, she felt she owed it herself, feel like a princess for a night.

Racks and racks of dresses where scattered about the shop she entered, a small bell ringing on the door when she came in. Right then and there she almost had a panic attack, so many dresses and she had no idea where to begin. So, she made for the dresses that sparkled a little bit, figuring something glitzy like that would look nice in the ambient lighting at the hall where they party was being held.

Careful not to hurt her bandaged hand, she grabbed an armful of dress of various colors and styles. Surely, one of these would made the grade, so she took the garments and headed for the fitting room.

 _Twelve_ dresses later, Riza still had made no progress. Either the dress was the wrong color, or were far too revealing for a professional get together like the inauguration ball. Riza may not of know too much about fashion, but she knew that none of these dresses were the one.

A sudden knock on her dressing room door made her jump slightly. "Do you need help in there, sweetie?" A sweet sounding woman asked from the other side of the door.

"No, I-" She began, but then stopped herself. "You know what? Yes. Yes, I _do_ need help. I'm dressed so you can come on in."

When the woman opened the door and entered, Riza saw that she had long, straight black hair with a pink shade of eyeshadow on her topaz-colored eyes. A bright pink lipstick painted delicately across her lips. The dress she had on seemed to fit her small frame perfectly. It was a deep maroon color and a small silver chain hanged from her neck and her nails were perfectly manicured.

Riza immediately felt a little insecure next to her. She was really beautiful and seemed to grasp the whole 'fashion' thing far more than she herself did. It was like she'd just stepped out of a magazine for style. But if anyone was going to be able to help her get the look she was looking for for this party, it was going to be her.

"Hello!" The lady said in a cheery voice, her smile was bright. "My name is Eva." She said, she went to extend her hand for a handshake, but noticed how banged up Riza's hand was. "Oh, I'm so sorry, sweetie. Are you okay?"

Riza nodded and waved it off. "Don't worry about it. Just a hand injury, it doesn't even hurt that much. I'm Riza."

Eva looked around the room and noticed a bunch of dresses thrown about. "I saw you come in here with a few selections, are you just not feeling any of them?" She asked.

"Twelve dresses to be exact." Riza said, looking at the mess she'd made. "And you're right, none of them seemed to do the trick for me."

Eva pursed her lips in thought for a moment, looking over the dresses again. After a moment, she shook her head. "Yeah, none of these dresses suit you. They're all a little...over the top?" Eva gave Riza a quick once over and then her eyes lit up. "You know what? I think I have the perfect dress for you, just hang on for a sec, kay?"

Riza nodded and smiled. She had never really met anyone like Eva before. Sure she had girlfriends at Central, but they were all like her, fashionably challenged and far from dainty. Sure, Riza could take someone like Eva in a fight of brawn, but when it came to confidence in her own skin, Eva would destroy her.

A short wait later, Eva was knocking on the door again. When she entered, she held a small black dress that glimmered ever so slightly. She held it up for Riza to admire, draping it over one of her arms.

"Every girl needs her own little black dress." Eva said, now handing the dress to Riza.

Riza looked at the dress with a gulp when she took it. Suddenly noticing the lack of fabric. "I'm attending a military inauguration...isn't this a little bit...risque?" She asked.

The woman just smiled and giggled. "You're a young and beautiful woman with an amazing figure. It's okay to show it off a little bit."

Riza held the hanged dress up to herself and looked at herself in the mirror. Maybe something like this _would_ work.

Eva patted her shoulder, "Trust me." She said with the utmost confidence. "Just try it on and see how you feel." And with that, she left Riza to change.

So, that's what Riza did. She turned away from the mirror, she didn't want to see herself until she was done. When she finally looked at herself, she was stunned. Eva had been right, this dress looked amazing. It was black and form-fitting, and stopped at her lower thigh. The sleeves were long and black, but the material made it look see through. A bright, almost glittering, single zipper went down the back. The front chest of the dress was high-cut, but a small key-hole opening rested in the center.

An excited knock rapped on her door. "Can I see it?" Eva asked in glee, she had known without a doubt that she had chosen the perfect dress.

Riza opened the door and let Eva in. "Yes, I want your opinion and...need help zipping up the back." She said with an embarrassed laugh.

Eva walked in brought her hands to her face in amazement. "You look lovely! See? Classy and sexy at the same time." She smiled, zipping Riza up as she had asked.

Riza felt her cheeks blush at the compliment. "Thank you. I feel...really pretty." She said, looking at herself in the mirror.

"Here." Eva said, handing her a medium-sized black box. "Try these on with it."

When Riza took the box and opened it, inside rested two bright silver heels. The color of the shoes perfectly matched the silver of her zipper on the back of the dress. The lights in the dressing room made them shimmer and sparkles.

"Wow..." Riza remarked as she slid the shoes onto her feet. The bright silver of the shoes contrasted the black of the dress gorgeously. Looking at herself in the dress and the shoes, she'd made her decision. "Yes. I'll take all of it." She said. "I love it."

Eva looked at her. "May I do one last thing?" She asked.

Riza nodded. "Of course."

Eva then went behind her and gently pulled her hair from it's barrette. Blonde hair fell to Riza's shoulders. "There, the look is complete now." Eva said smiling, looking at Riza's reflection in the mirror with her. "It's a military party, right? Show off your hair a little."

Riza smiled. "Yes, it is. It's an inauguration for our new Fuhrer actually."

A mischievous look fell over Eva's face. "And do you have a _daaaaate_?" She asked playfully.

Riza grinned. "I do." She answered. "He's wonderful and I want to look my best for him, because he means everything to me." Riza felt her happiness trickle away. "I don't know what I'd do without him."

The weight of Roy's end was weighing down heavily on her. Tears filled her eyes and she stepped away from the mirror and Eva.

But Eva still noticed.

Eva placed a hand on Riza's shoulder. "What's the matter, sweetie?" She asked in a consoling voice. "Why the tears?"

Riza knew that as soon as she opened her mouth to the sweet woman, she would just break entirely. But Eva was so kind and felt she actually did care. Maybe she could open up to her? And, just as she'd predicted, the moment she spoke, the tears fell harder with no sign of stopping.

"The man that I'm attending the ball with..." Riza began.

"Your husband?" Eva asked.

Riza shook her head, wiping her tears. "No...but he's the love of my life." She told her. "And he's...really, really sick."

Eva deflated a little bit. "Oh..." She said sadly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Riza just shook her head, she knew Eva meant well. "I take it it's...terminal?" She asked.

Riza nodded, still wiping her eyes. "Yes. The doctor looking after him says he's got about six months left to live." Riza buried her face in her hands. "I just don't know what to do anymore. I'm trying so hard to stay strong for him and myself, but I can't...I just can't."

Eva looked at Riza and didn't say a word, she just pulled her in for a warm hug. Riza didn't care, she needed this. Eva's embrace made her feel better.

"Just cry." Eva told her. "It's okay. No one will hear you."

And that's just what Riza did. She broke out into a full-blown sob. She cried for Roy, she cried for herself, she cried for the Elric boys. She just cried. The release of it all felt nice, it was what she'd needed since all of this began.

Eva just patted Riza's head as she held her. "Miracles happen every day, sweetie. Your love for each other is no exception to that. Every second that he's alive, there's always hope. Hard as it seems in situations like this, you have to remember to have faith."

"Faith?" Riza repeated. Hope and faith were never things she ever considered to be real, and if they were, they were very rare and had some sort of scientific explanation to back them up. Blind faith was something she didn't believe in.

"You don't have to have faith in some higher power or anything." Eva told her. "Just have faith in the man you love, have faith that anything is possible. If you don't have any faith, all you'll have is despair." Eva turned Riza's face to look at her. "Listen to me," She said, "he's going to be okay. I can just feel it, and when he's recovered, bring him by here."

"And if he doesn't?" Riza asked, admittedly a little coldly.

"He _will_." Eva insisted. "I want to meet him, and find out how much he loved your dress." She said with a smile. "Be your own miracle, Riza."

Riza just felt deeply touched. She nodded her head. "Thank you, Eva." She said. "Roy and I will be here real soon to see you."

Riza just had to have faith.

XXXX

Roy was feeling okay for the most part. He had been out of the hospital for a couple weeks now, and the pills Evans' prescribed to him still seemed to be working a little—to an extent at least. Sitting at his desk in his office, he was on the phone, seemingly making arrangements for something.

"Thank you." He said into the receiver. "I'll leave it in your hands for now. I'll check back in with you next week to see how it's coming along. Goodbye." He said, hanging up the phone.

After his phone-call he had to get back to the mountain of paper work in front of him. After his near death in the last mission, he wasn't cleared for field work for another couple weeks, as much as he hated it. July was the soonest he'd be able to be out there in battle again. As much as all of this pissed him off, he couldn't blame his doctors or even Riza. His heart had stopped three times after going toe to toe with the Spark Alchemist, and even Armstrong put her input in to make sure he didn't go back out until he was fully recovered—and then some. Easier said than done.

A knock came through his office door.

"Yes?" He asked, not even looking up from rummaging through his papers.

"Hello, Colonel." A timid voice said from ahead. "Or I guess it's Fuhrer now, huh?"

Roy looked up and smiled when he saw his visitor. "Alphonse!" He said happily. "It's great to see you. What brings you by?"

"Brother wanted me to make a quick visit to make sure you're _really_ as okay as you claim." he explained.

Roy let out a dry chuckle. "That sounds about right for Fullmetal." He said. "So, I take it he isn't with you?"

"No." Alphonse said, shaking his head. "Every second matters to him, so he spends it training with Dr. Lee—which I wanted to discuss with you. I truly believe he wants to help us."

Roy gestured for Alphonse to take a seat across the desk from him. "That's hard for me to believe, Alphonse. I can't fathom why he would do something like that."

"Doctor Lee is a man of peace—at least he is now. I didn't know him back then. Killing someone that another cares about, wouldn't bring back what he's lost. And besides, Brother is more than capable of handling himself if things were to get out of hand. The people he loves is his motivation, and he won't stop until he succeeds." Al explained. "I really trust Lee and I know Brother does too."

"Then Lee is a better man than I am." Roy conceded.

"Now," Alphonse went on, "how are you doing? I want the truth."

Roy looked to Alphonse and gave a smirk. "Bad choice of words." He joked. "But I've been better, if I'm honest. However, I've been taking medicine that eases my symptoms so it's been...manageable."

"Brother is really coming along in his training." Alphonse told him. "He's going to have you cured and back to normal before you know it."

Alphonse caught Roy's gaze fall downward and his face fall, he looked very uneasy.

"What? You don't think he can do it?" Al asked.

Roy shook his head slightly. "It's not me I'm worried about, Alphonse."

Alphonse cocked his head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Roy leaned forward, propping his elbows on the desk and interlacing his fingers. His face still came across as concerned. "Edward has a very hard time dealing with guilt. I'm afraid that is he doesn't succeed, for one reason or another, that he'll just...break. You know him more than I do, Alphonse, you know he'd blame himself for my death, whether it's really his fault or not. Even if he did literally everything in his power to prevent it. I don't want him tormenting himself over it."

Alphonse took Mustang's words in, he knew the man was right. Edward had a tendency to blame himself for things that were out of his power to stop. "Doctor Lee and I have been talking about that same exact thing. Brother, he...keeps having reoccurring nightmares—or night-terrors as Lee calls it—about if he _does_ fail. It's scary seeing Ed hysterical like that. I have to hold him for a long time before he finally settles."

Roy nodded in understanding. Edward was everything to Alphonse and it was clear that seeing his older brother crumble like he's been doing was taking it's toll on him. "Fullmetal listens to you more than anyone, Alphonse. If anyone can convince him to talk to someone about his problems—it's you."

"Brother has always taken care of me, the least I can do for him is return the favor. The two of you will be reunited before you know it, and none of this will even be a factor anymore." Alphonse said.

Roy looked the boy trapped in the armor with kind eyes. "You're my son too, Alphonse." He assured him. "I care just as much about you as I do Fullmetal. It's just you're...considerably stronger in handling your feelings than your brother is."

Alphonse perked up a little bit at this. "Thank you. You can count on me...dad." He said, with a hint of embarrassment.

Roy grinned at his boy. "I know I can. So, how long to I have you for?" He asked.

"Just a couple days." Al replied.

"Looks like I have a roommate, then."

Alphonse giggled. "If you'll have me."

"I'd be insulted if you stayed anywhere else. You can stay in my guest bedroom."

This was exactly what Roy needed—a visit from one of his boys to jolt him back into gear.

XXXX

Edward and Lee pressed on in their alchemy training. As strong as the Fullmetal Alchemist was, all of this alchemy was fast taking it's toll on him. Strained and exhausted as he was, though, he still fought. Although, it felt like he'd hit another plateau—nothing seemed to be improving. Time wasn't a luxury that he had anymore, so the sooner he completed this, the better.

Lee walked around Edward, who was on his knees. Before him lay a dead squirrel, his task was to bring it back from the depths of death. Bring it back _without_ the use of human or animal transmutation. Just using strictly medicinal alchemy.

"You can do this, Edward!" Lee called down to him. "Just think of your dad and how much he needs you!"

"I'm _trying_!" Edward yelled, his healing powers flickering bright before it crackled out. But he didn't stop, he just clapped is hands together and pressed them to the floor one more time. His arms were buckling under the force of his strain. Try as he might, the creature in front of him refused to move. Each attempt left him more drained than the last, his body wasn't going to be able to take much more.

But he refused to give up.

After taking a few moments to catch his breath, he went to try again, but stopped when an odd sensation hit his nose. He took his flesh hand and wiped under his nose—blood.

Lee sighed. "I think we need to stop for now, son."

"No." Edward insisted, shaking his head. "I can handle this. It's just a little nosebleed, I'm fine."

Sighing again, Lee conceded. "One more attempt, then you're taking a rest."

Edward growled lowly to himself. "Fine, but only because I'm going to do it this time." He said confidently, despite his weakened demeanor saying otherwise.

Edward just closed his eyes and tried to focus.

 _Just focus and think about your dad. He's going to die if you don't perfect this, you hold his life in your hands. Every day is just another step closer to him being well again. You'll save him. You_ have _to save him—failure is not an option here._

Clapping his hands together carefully, Edward placed his hands on the deceased creature. Focusing as hard as he could, he imagined his alchemy seeping into the squirrel from his hands. Pale green light enveloped both Edward and the animal, he could feel his energy waning, but he just kept at it. A steady stream of blood pouring from his nose. Pained grunts an noises left him, he fought to stay steady and upright. Once more, his arms began to buckle under the pressure.

Once Edward felt he had poured enough energy forward into the critter, he stopped, falling forward forcefully, his wobbly arms just barely keeping him from hitting the floor. Edward didn't move his gaze from the animal.

 _Did I...fail?_

Just then, the little squirrel twitched slightly, and then sprang to life. The creature looking happy, healthy and eager to live.

Edward watched in delight as the squirrel scurried about and laughed in disbelief. "It worked. I can't believe it actually worked.

Edward forced himself up and carried the little animal in his hands, petting it's head delicately with his flesh fingers. So there _was_ hope for his dad! He'd done it, he 'd actually healed something that had perished. A wide smile graced his face.

Lee approached Ed and the squirrel and clapped his hands. "Amazing work, Edward!" He cheered in praise. "I knew you could do it! You have the strength and ability others aren't so lucky to experience!"

Edward's face was still brightly lit up. "Thanks, Lee. I never would have been able to do all of this without you."

And Lee smiled back.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed into the room and a dark aura filled it. Lee and Edward made it to their feet, looking about in horror.

"What the hell is this?" Edward asked, still peering around the room in fright.

Lee put his back to Edward's, hopefully, nothing could surprise them this way. "I'm not sure, but just be on your guard Fullmetal." he warned the boy.

" _ **How many times do I have to teach you this lesson, Edward Elric?**_ " An eerie and familiar voice called out from the abyss. " _ **You have no right to play God!**_ "

A flurry of tiny, black arms darted out from the darkness and made a straight line for Edward.

Edward shook his head rapidly from side to side. "No, not this! Anything but this!" He cried out, backing away in horror, the squirrel jumping from his grip to get away. Escaping was inevitable, however. The hands grabbed him from all sides and began pulling him into the void.

"No! Please!" He screamed, tears falling hard from his eyes, nothing more than despair and terror. "I have to stay! I have to save my father!"

Edward's body slowly began to chip away, just as it did when he and Alphonse lost their bodies years ago. All Edward could do was scream until his throat ached. "I have to save him! There's no time! Dad! _DAD!_ "

Roy jolted awake, suddenly, screaming at the top of his lungs. He couldn't breathe, and sweat soaked his hair and his clothes. Red and glassy eyes blinked back to life and, as he looked around, he realized he was in his own bedroom.

 _Stupid goddamn nightmare._

Roy let out a sigh of relief that almost sounded like a whimper, and pushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes. His heart was racing so hard that his chest ached.

"Son of a bitch..." He mumbled softly, struggling to regain his composure.

Just then, his bedroom door flew open, and in ran Alphonse.

"Sorry to barge in without asking!" Alphonse cried, still trying to be polite in peril. "But I heard you screaming from all the way downstairs! Are you okay?"

Roy swallowed hard, it took him a few seconds before he could answer. "Yeah...yeah I'm fine...it...was just a dream. A terrible, awful dream." He said. "Sorry if I scared you, kid."

Alphonse raised a hand and shook his head. "No worries. Brother has nightmares like that all the time. I'm just sorry that it upset you so much." The boy then saw Roy grab at his chest and wince. "Are you sure you're okay?" Concern seeping more and more into his voice with each passing word.

"Yeah." Roy assured him. "I'm just a little...overwhelmed. But it wasn't real...just a dream."

 _It wasn't real_.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Al asked sweetly. "It might help."

"No." Roy answered quickly. "I don't want to talk about it at all."

Alphonse chuckled softly. "You and Brother are like two peas in a pod. Ed never likes to talk about his dreams with me either. It's like pulling teeth to get anything out of him."

"It's just one I'd sooner forget." Roy told him. "We'll just leave it at that." As sweet as the kid was being wanting to help him, all Roy wanted to do in that moment was forget every last detail of that dream—that _nightmare_.

"Okay." Al told him. "But the offer is always on the table if you change your mind."

"Thanks, kid."

As Alphonse turned to leave, he stopped before he exited and turned back to Roy. "Brother is going to be just fine, father. I can promise you that. He won't fail, or be forsaken—because he refuses to." Alphonse just gave him a casual thumb's up, that tried to convey everything would be just fine. "Goodnight, dad."

"Goodnight, son."


End file.
